


My Strange "Gift"

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Series: Crossovers [3]
Category: Beyond: Two Souls, Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beyond Two Souls AU, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Romance, minor chasemarsh, minor wardson, pricefield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:32:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5798980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I stand on the precipice, teetering over the edge. Do I succumb to the urges to fall down into the abyss? Do I risk it all for my freedom?<br/>Was it worth it? All the death and destruction they caused…<br/>I’ll leave that up to you to decide…<br/>(LIS characters in B2S universe)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I’ve had a major writer’s block recently for a lot of my stories on top of Uni work, so I’ll get round to updating my other stories asap. I thought I’d release something though. 
> 
> I present to you my new fanfic. It will be very loosely based on the story of Beyond 2 Souls, and I mean loosely. The story jumps around a lot, but I will put Max’s age and once I’ve written all the chapters I’ll also put the chronological order of each section up, so if you want to read it as one long continuation when it is all out you can.   
> Enjoy

**Prologue (Age 23)**

I am perched atop my throne of bones, bones that belonged to the monsters who tried to strike fear into my heart and consume me. A metal crown sits a top my head, a crown that sticks into my scalp, piercing the skin, one I am forced to wear time and time again without explanation.

_For what purpose?_

I wear tattered robes, robes which have seen war too many times. My cold blue eyes glance over the destruction, eyes that have seen too much too soon, things no-one should ever have to have been subjected to.

_So why was I?_

They could never give up, even when they were obviously beaten. For a time, I considered sparing them… I retreated, seeking peace… but they couldn’t just leave it alone. They underestimated me. They didn’t take into consideration my determination and deep running hatred for what they did to me and the people I love.

_Love?_

Love… a funny concept. Most would associate it purely with the good times… the brief brushing of hands, the cold nights of shared warmth, the small stolen kisses, the undisclosed declarations meant solely for your ears…. Love is not so simple, at least it hasn’t been for me. It’s been a path strewn with obstacles and sacrifices, all just for the simple desire to find a small sanctuary in this apathetic and unforgiving world created by perjurers with silver tongues who entice with pretty yet hollow words. If there is no safe haven to be had… you carve one out. You cut away the infectious disease in the hope that underneath… underneath is something untainted by their grubby hands.

_Does such a place exist?_

I preside over my kingdom, a kingdom built on betrayal, deception and revenge. So much was sacrificed to get to this point, excruciating pain and suffering had to be endured. The rivers run red with the blood that has been spilt on the journey to reach this destiny, both others and my own.

_Why did this happen?_

They know me as ‘usurper’, ‘insurgent’… all I want is my freedom, a freedom they are not willing to grant me. They tried to control me, like so many others, keep me on an unbearably suffocating leash, rip me apart and use me to their own depraved ends… but they underestimated me. They dabbled with forces they did not understand and gave me something to fight for, someone to lose. Once they failed, they tried to destroy me. If they couldn’t have me… no-one could. I belong to no-one. I am not property to be traded. I am a person with feelings, hopes, desires… something they just didn’t get, couldn’t comprehend.

_Why couldn’t they just leave me be?_

I stand on the precipice, teetering over the edge.

_Do I succumb to the urges to fall down into the abyss? Do I risk it all for my freedom? Was it worth it? All the death and destruction they caused…_

I’ll leave that up to you to decide…

* * *

**Chapter One: Never Over**

**Broken (Age 22)**

**Forest Police Station**

I sit in a small run-down office opposite a man I assume to be a police officer given his uniform. He is trying to interrogate me, find out who I am and where I come from. Even I don’t know who I am anymore. This man does not know what real interrogation is… not that anyone should have to.

He gives me a long hard stare as he paces the length of the room, “I found you by the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere… was there an accident?” he questions, his eyes piercing me with an intense stare.

_What happened to me was no accident, it was very much intentional… and that is the part that terrifies me._

My mind wanders back to that time…

* * *

**_A forest clearing, distant figures and flashing lights._ **

* * *

_He wants me to tell him… but I can’t. I’m sure he has the best intentions in mind, but good intentions can get you killed. If I tell, he will die. I don’t want any more blood on my hands. I’ve had more than my fair share._

I sit there, my face stoic so as not giving anything away. At my silence, he leans forward in his chair and clasps his hands together, “Did someone try to hurt you…?”

_Not only tried, but succeeded._

* * *

**_I am running frantically through the forest, away from the lights, away from the dogs, away from the murderers. A voice ahead of me calls me forward, “Max, turn left here!”_ **

* * *

He leans back in his chair for a moment, rubbing his temples and then stands up, “How about a name? Someone I could contact?” he walks around the desk and perches himself on it, “You must have a family… friend… someone who could tell me who you are?”

* * *

**_Blue eyes stare back into mine, a mischievous glint in them, eyes I have stared into so many times..._ **

**_“Max…”_ **

* * *

_Yes. I do, but I am not telling anyone. I am not putting them at risk. I have very few people I can trust and I would never tell._

He sighs and runs his hand over his balding head as I refuse to meet his eyes, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

_No shit._

I continue to stare past him at the wall, hoping that if I ignore him long enough, that he will leave me alone… at least that is what I hope. He shakes his head and sighs deeply, “Well, if you don’t help me, I can’t help you…”

_I’ve heard that before. Usually just before they stick needles in me and perform other horrible experiments… I don’t need help, I need to leave… run far away from here and never come back._

He removes himself from the desk and sighs in exasperation, “We’re getting nowhere.”

_That’s right. We aren’t. Let me go._

He stops abruptly when he reaches the door, then stops in his tracks. He turns back and stares at the back of my head. I feel his eyes running over the long healing scar and know that he’s going to ask. I hear his footsteps coming closer and closer behind me as he hesitantly asks, “Is that a scar?”

_No… just leave. Don’t look…_

He is now only a few inches from me, examining my shaved head, “Is that recent?”

He reaches out to touch the scar and as he does, the cup of coffee he was drinking flies off the desk and hits the wall with enough force to shatter it. The dark liquid oozes down the wall, leaving a trail as it drips onto the floor. The shattered shards scatter the floor, jagged and sharp. His eyes widen in shock and his mouth agape as he stares at me in disbelief and fear.

_This is nothing. If you think that’s crazy, you haven’t seen anything._

A ghostly whisper reverberates in my mind, **_“Max, they’re coming to take us back.”_**

_No… no they aren’t. I am never going back there, not after I have tasted my freedom… never again. Not after I’ve finally found something to live for._

* * *

**The Experiment (Age 8)**

**Max’s Room**

I sit there playing with my toys, trying to stop myself from feeling bored. I’ve played with these toys so many times before and it gets boring quickly, especially when you aren’t allowed outside on your own.

_They got me so many when I came here. Probably to keep me out of trouble._

I drop the doll I’m holding, once again growing tired of my own company.

_It’s no fun if you don’t have anyone to play with though. Rachel plays with me sometimes if I ask. At least I have her._

I look up at the camera in the corner of my room and stare at it, narrowing my eyes. The small red light blinks on it, showing that someone is watching.

_I know they are watching me, I’m not stupid. They think that just because I’m a kid that I don’t understand._

I turn back to my doll and move its arms to forget about the camera. The door creaks open and a man with short greying hair and goatee, blue overalls and glasses enters the room. I ignore him, hoping he’ll leave me to my playing.

_I don’t wanna go. It’s scary and I don’t like it._

I see him out of the corner of my eye, getting closer and closer.

_I pretended I was sick once to get out of it. They didn’t believe me so I had to go._

“Good morning, young Max,” he mutters in a quiet voice, “It’s time.”

_Samuel is a bit weird, but he’s fun. I help him feed the squirrels and birds in the grounds. He always has time to talk to me. I don’t get everything he says, he kinda talks funny. Really quiet and mumbled. At least he’s nice… not like a lot of other people._

I stop playing and turn to Samuel, “Do I have to go?”

He walks over slowly and crouches down to my level, “If you don’t, how will you learn how to get out of here?”

_Samuel never makes sense._

I stare down at the doll in my hands and place it back on the floor with the others, “I don’t get it?”

He smiles sadly at me, his eyes almost apologizing to me, “One day, you’ll understand. You’ll be happy you listened to old Samuel. Learn everything you can, who knows what you will become.”

_I don’t have much choice._

I reluctantly get up and start to follow Samuel out of my room. As I walk past my desk, I pick up my camera and look through the viewfinder, scanning over the piles of unused toys.

_It’s full of stuff… stuff I don’t really play with. I don’t get why they gave me all this. It just sits there._

The viewfinder settles on Samuel, who stares at me intensely, “You see the world differently to most, Max. Samuel does too. Don’t let them change that.”

I see a guitar propped against my bed, the one I had spent hours practising.

_The only other thing I actually like in here, apart from the camera._

I pick it up, turning it over in my hands and give it a strum.

_Maybe one day I can be a rock star. Might need to practise a bit first._

I place it back down on the floor gently and look up at Samuel, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. He shakes his head and sighs, “Samuel wishes he could help you more, Max. Maybe one day Samuel can. For now, you have to learn.”

_It was worth a try._

I drag my feet out of the room and down the bright white corridor, swinging my arms

_It’s really bright here. It hurts my eyes._

People in white coats stand in the corridor. They stop talking and stare down at me as I go by. Some of them smile, others look scared like I’m some caged animal who hasn’t eaten for a while, ready to attack them.

_Why do they always do that?_

A woman crouches down in front of me and beams, “Hello precious! Don’t you look pretty today?” although she smiles, her eyes don’t show it.

I follow Samuel down the hallway, still wanting to run away from this. It’s no good though, they’ll just catch me and take me back. He points to an ajar room just up ahead to his right, “Go on now, learn.”

_I want to go back. This place is really scary._

I scrape my feet along the floor and enter the room. It’s really empty in here apart from a gray metal table and a black swivel chair. I sit down on the chair, moving it from side to side as I wait for this all to be over. Two men stand in the room who go quiet as I sit down. One is a tall big man with dark skin and a bald head. His name is Ray Wells. I don’t recognize the other man wearing a suit with brown hair, a short beard and glasses.

_Must be one of the big boss people._

When I’ve got settle, he strides over to me, “Hi, Max. I’m Mr Jefferson, but you can call me Mark,” I don’t say anything, but he smiles and presses on, “I’ll be helping Ray today.”

Samuel walks in behind me and gives me a small reassuring smile as he leans against the wall.

_I feel safer with him in here. I know he won’t let them really hurt me._

He gives Mark a weird look, one that seems kind of angry. I haven’t ever seen Samuel angry before, it’s not in his nature. He never shouts and always has a smile on his face. It makes me feel worried about what kind of person Mark for Samuel to act like this.

Mark crouches down and takes a metal thing from the table, “Okay! We’re going to put this on now. Just like a crown.”

_They always put it on. I don’t know why._

He puts the metal thing on my head, “Oh yeah! Oh. Now you’re a little princess!”

_I don’t like it. It hurts my head. It’s too tight._

I reach up to loosen it, but it doesn’t work. I sigh and stare down at my feet.

_Princesses are trapped too, at least in the story books they gave me. Maybe one day someone can come save me._

Mark smiles at me with that same fake smile I’ve seen a hundred times. His eyes are dull and emotionless, not like when Samuel does it. When he smiles, it’s like his whole body brightens up and his eyes sparkle with genuine happiness, “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

_I dunno if he’s trying to convince me or himself._

They all exit the room to the one next door. I glance down at the desk, seeing cards on it. A booming electronic voice comes from a speaker on the wall, “Hey Max, can you hear me?”

I shrug in response, knowing that I’m not ready but that my words won’t change anything.

“Okay, let’s start. Kathleen is next door…”

_I dunno why they always tell me. I know what I have to do. I’ve done it loads of times. I dunno why though._

“… and she has the same cards as you. Now, she’s going to choose one and we’ll see if you can tell us which one she chose,” I swing my legs under the table in silence, the chair moves a bit, “You think you can do that?” I shrug again and the voice echoes out again, “Alright, let’s go for it. First card.”

I turn around to see a ghostly figure standing next to me. She must be about my age and is kind of glowing a kind of blueish color. She has long flowing blonde hair and mischievous hazel eyes. She smiles at me sadly, **_“It’ll be over soon, Max. Then we can go play again.”_**

_Only I can see Rachel and talk with her. She helps me do stuff I shouldn’t be able to do, like move things and see things I’m not supposed to see._

I nod as she disappears through the wall to look at the cards in the other room. I can see them through her eyes and tap the right one. We do this a few times.

_We always do it so many times. It gets boring._

The voice speaks again, “Very good, Max. Let’s try something else. There’s some building blocks on the table in the other room. You think you can make them fall over?”

Rachel pushes the blocks, causing them to crash to the floor. The woman sat at the table gasps in shock and moves away.

“Good, Max. Anything else in the room you can move?”

Rachel pushes a plastic cup off the table, the water inside spilling onto the floor. She then moves the woman’s chair across the room with her still sat in it.

_Rachel kind of enjoys messing with people. At least she’s having fun._

The lights start to flicker and the woman in the other room stands up abruptly, “That’s it… I’m sorry, but… I’m done…’ she goes over to the door and pushes on it, but the door doesn’t open. She begins bashing on the door in panic and screams, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”

The voice from the speaker sounds desperate and firm now, “Okay, Max, the experiments over.”

The woman rattles the door handle desperately, “It’s locked. Get me out of here, NOW!”

I hear loud banging on the door behind me as if someone is trying to break down the door, “Max, you need to STOP!”

Black shadows seep underneath the door, threatening to get me.

_I’m scared._

Rachel rushes to my side, ready to stop the monsters from hurting me, **_“I’m scared too, Max. But we can go play soon.”_**

_Help me._

I feel the tears run down my cheeks as the door flies open behind me. Samuel moves faster than I have ever seen him do before over to me and scoops me up in his arms. I lunge at him, wrapping my arms around his frame and burying my head in his shoulder as I sob. He strokes my head comfortingly and whispers, “There, there, Max. The monsters are gone for now. You were very brave, you and Rachel.”

_Samuel is the only one who believes the monsters are real. Just because other people can’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I think he can see Rachel too. He talks to her sometimes and she really seems to like him. He’s the only one in this place that treats her like a person and not a monster._

Mark crouches down beside me, “It’s over, Max, it’s over.”

I hear the woman in the other room screaming, ‘freak’ and ‘devil’.

_I don’t wanna do this anymore._

I clutch on tighter to Samuel and bury my head further into his shoulder, “It’ll never be over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that’s the first chapter out there. Chapter 2 will be full of Pricefield, so look forward to that. It was interesting trying to write Samuel. I haven’t really tried before, but it was fun. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time.


	2. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max recalls two parties she has attended in her lifetime, both of which brought her closer to a certain someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Hope you’re all good. Here is the next chapter.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Two: Found**

**The Embassy (Age 21)**

**Main Hall**

Chloe and I stride into the large hall and immediately beginning scanning the area for potential threats. Small groups of people are clustered together, all dressed to impress. A few tables are dotted around, covered in fancy looking food and drinks.

_Everything looks so decedent… but also so imposing._

I shift uncomfortably and resist the urge to grab my arm with my hand, my usual coping mechanism for my anxiety.

_There are so many important people here… and a lot of guards too. It’s making me feel nervous._

I feel their eyes on us as we walk through the hall and swallow hard to try and combat the sudden dryness in my throat.

_I’ve never been the most socially gracious person, but it’s even worse in settings like this. What if they notice…?_

I clutch onto Chloe’s arm tightly, who briefly glances down at me, her vibrant blue eyes looking at me worriedly. She offers me a small reassuring smile and squeezes my arm lightly, “It’s ok. I’m here with you.”

Her voice soothes me, calms my anxieties. It’s always been that way ever since I can remember. I give her arm a squeeze back to show her I’m ok.

_Thank dog she’s here, otherwise I’d have probably chickened out and left._

I relax a bit, but not too much. The tenseness in my body is still present as we stand at near the door of the hall. My blue eyes dart around nervously as I take deep calming breaths.

_Even with her here, this is still the most nerve wracking thing I have ever had to do… and that’s saying something. Give me life and death situations any day of the week and I’ll carry them out with expert precision, but put me in a dress in a room full of people and I’m a complete mess._

I exhale deeply, “I just get really anxious around this many people.”

She squeezes my hand reassuringly, her voice gentle and soft so only I can hear, “I know. I hate things like this too. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

_I second that._

She offers me a charming lop-sided grin, one I’ve come to know well in the time I’ve been around her, “At least I get to see you in a dress for once.”

I nudge her playfully on the arm, “Don’t get used to it.”

She grins mischievously, a twinkle in her eyes. Then, she lets go of my arm and stands in front of me, her expression soft as she gazes deeply into my eyes. She clears her throat quietly, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks, “You really look beautiful, you know.”

_Soppy Chloe is always the best._

I reach up and begin to straighten her bowtie, “And you’re looking very dapper in your suit.”

_She can’t do it properly to save her life. I tried to do it for her, but she wouldn’t have it. She has way too much pride to admit defeat._

Chloe grins at me sheepishly, “I’d better, it wasn’t cheap,” she takes my hand in hers and gives it a small squeeze, “Ready?”

Rachel places a ghostly hand on my shoulder, **_“Come on, Max. We’ve got this.”_**

_We have a job to do._

I glance around the room again, “As I’ll ever be.”

I take a deep breath and follow Chloe, her fingertips gently brush against mine every so often as we weave our way through the crowds.

“Max, glad you could make it,” a deep voice booms from behind us. I turn to see a familiar figure walk up to us, a man with short brown hair, a beard and glasses wearing a black suit… Mark Jefferson. He has that usual look of condescension and that smug cocky smile plastered to his face.

_He became the head of the CIA not too long after Chloe transferred there, which must be about four years ago now. It definitely helped that he has been so heavily involved in my training, considering how much of a ‘success’ they consider me._

He gives me a huge grin and I feel Chloe tense up beside me as he approaches us. She pulls me back a bit behind her defensively and draws herself to her fullest height as if she’s ready for a fight.

_She gets so protective of me… not that I mind. Its sweet she worries so much. I can take care of myself, but it’s nice to know that someone else is looking out for you._

Mark stands in front of us, drink in hand.

_He’s a bit of a creep. He was fine when I was young, but recently I’ve caught him giving me some weird looks and he says things that rub me up the wrong way sometimes. He’s never tried anything… yet._

**_“Maybe you should go for it. You might get some special privileges.”_ **

_Dog Rachel, I hope you’re joking._

Rachel chuckles at my embarrassment, **_“Maybe I am… maybe I’m not…”_**

_You are out of control._

She grins at me cheekily and I shake my head lightly at her. Mark turns his gaze to Chloe and gives her a small nod, trying his charm. She stares at him, unimpressed and unaffected by his attempts.

_She’s never trusted him… I’m starting to think she’s right to think that._

“Ah, Chloe. It’s been too long,” he holds out his hand to her, which she ignores, her jaw tightening.

She pulls me further behind her, squaring him up confrontationally, her blue eyes pierce his brown ones, “We have some important business to attend to, if you remember.”

His eyes show a flicker of annoyance, but this quickly fades. He gives us a charming, if forced, smile, “Always so on the ball. Don’t let me keep you,” he skulks away towards a large group, glancing back to us once or twice as he walks away.

“Fucking prick. He is such a perv,” she mumbles angrily under her breath.

_They have come to blows more than once. Ever since he started running the CIA, he seems to be trying to push Chloe’s buttons._

Rachel shows off her renowned roguish smile, **_“Maybe he’s jealous.”_**

_Ew! I don’t want to think like that._

Her grin only widens at my protests, **_“I wouldn’t blame him, you have become a fine young woman, Max. I’m sure Chloe would agree. Anyone would be nuts to pass you over.”_**

I sigh deeply and rub my temples.

_Thanks for the heads up._

My hand brushes up against Chloe’s, causing her to look over to me, the rage replaced with something gentler.

“At least I had you to protect me, right?”

Chloe sighs and runs her fingers through her faded blue hair, “Damn right. I’m not sharing you with anyone, especially not some creepy power hungry bastard…” she grins impishly at me.

_Oh, no. That is a look I have seen too many times. Who knows what she’s going to say next…_

“…well, unless I was offered hella cash.”

I playfully push her, “Hey!”

Chloe chuckles, “What? I said **_hella_** cash. That’s a lot.”

I roll my eyes at her, “Oh, yeah, because that makes it **_so_** much better.”

Chloe looks down at the floor, suddenly taking an interest in her shoes. She gently kicks the marble floor, her voice hesitant, “It just… shows you mean a lot to me.”

My heart beats a little faster at these words.

_Oh, Chloe. Why do you do this to me? Among all the joking, you say things that are so tender and genuine that make my heart race. I’m never prepared for it._

Moving on quickly from her small show of affection and vulnerability, she scans the area thoroughly. Seemingly satisfied, she turns back to me, “Ok, you find somewhere quiet to do your thing. I’ll get to shaking some hands and all that jazz. I think I get the worst part of the deal to be honest.”

As I walk away, Chloe taps me on the ass and winks, “Meet you back here when you’re done.”

Soon I am left on my own with Rachel.

_Ok, Max. Just like we practised. In and out._

I make my way over to the bathroom and sit in a stall. The toilet has a comfy padded lid.

_Fancy. Much nicer than the toilets back at the base._

I take a pad of paper and a pen from my purse and get ready for the inevitably excruciating pain I am about to endure.

_Rachel? You ready?_

**_“Sure am.”_ **

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for this.

_There is a large painting in one of the rooms upstairs. Behind it there is a safe. The documents we are looking for are inside. But there are guards and cameras, so you have to be careful, you got it?_

Rachel rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, **_“We’ve been over it a thousand times Max. I got this.”_**

_Ok. Just checking._

I see through Rachel’s eyes as she makes her way out of the bathroom, through the huge room full of people and up the stairs. The further she goes, the harder it is to concentrate and the more intense the throbbing pain in my head becomes.

_Any chance you could hurry it up? My head is killing me._

**_“Hey, I’d like to see you try to find your way around this place. You got the easy job. All you have to do is sit there.”_ **

I push on through the pain as she makes her way to the security room.

_Turn off the monitor so he can’t see._

**_“Got it.”_ **

She distracts the guard by pushing his cup on the floor and turns off the monitor for the main office while he’s cleaning it up. She goes to the main office and locates the switch for the safe, which is hidden in the lower right hand drawer of the desk. She manages to open the safe and flicks the document onto the floor, exposing the information we need. I have no idea what they are, it doesn’t matter. All I need to do is write it all down.

_Hold still._

I quickly scribble down the information I need, throwing the pieces of paper on the floor when I’ve finished them. A warm substance, presumably blood, runs down from my nose and my head becomes fuzzy.

_I can’t hold on much longer…_

Someone knocks on the stall door and a muffled voice speaks through the locked door, but I can’t make out what they are saying at all.

_Shit._

Footsteps approach the door and an angry female voice fills the air. The door opens and a woman comes in. She picks up the pieces of paper strewn over the bathroom floor and leaves without another word.

_I feel so weak and my head is killing me. Got to get back to Chloe. Come on, Max._

My world spins as I use the wall to steady myself and somehow I exit the stall without falling over, even though there were a few close calls. I stagger over to the mirror and check myself out. My skin is much paler than usual, my cheeks drained of all their color.

_Man, I look rough. Hello, zombie face._

My fingers brush against the dried blood leading down from my nose.

_Note to self, dried, flaking blood is not a good look on me._

I splash some cold water on my face, trying to get rid of the dark red trail coming from my nose and exit the bathroom. I inhale sharply, clutching at my throbbing head as I stumble over to the exit.

_This sucks. Damn it, hold on a bit longer. Then I can collapse…_

My bleary eyes fall on Chloe, who is sat on a chair at the side of the room. When she sees me, she stands up and smiles. Her smile quickly fades and turns sideways as my body slumps to the floor. Before I hit the ground, I am stopped.

“Whoa, Max. I got you,” I can’t hear anything, except her worried desperate voice, “…ax!... hear me?... MAX!”

* * *

My eyes open abruptly and I stare up at a ceiling I know all too well. I’m back at my room in the CIA base laying on the bed. I try to lift my head from the pillow, but immediately regret it when a searing pain enters my head, “Fuck!” I clutch at my head.

_I feel like my brain is about to explode. Well, at least it would do wonders for the décor of this place if it did. This place has the worst decorating I have ever seen, all dull, no color._

I turn my head slightly and see Chloe sat on a chair beside the bed, her head in her hands. At the sound of my voice, she lifts her head up and sighs in relief, “Oh thank god. You’re ok. You scared me so much,” she pulls me to her and holds me tight, almost causing me to fall out of the bed.

_I’ve never seen Chloe like this before. She usually plays it so cool…_

“What… happened?” I mumble.

Her breath is warm against my neck, triggering the hairs on my neck to stand on end, “You passed out and I carried you back here.”

_I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to do this without causing some serious damage._

She lets out a shuddery breath, her voice little more than a whisper, “Please don’t ever do that again. I really thought I had lost you there for a second,” she refuses to look at me, her head buried in my shoulder.

_Chloe…_

I put my hand on her cheek, lifting her head up to face me. My heart drops as I see the unshed tears welling up in her blue eyes, “Sorry.”

She puts her hand over mine, leans into my touch and closes her eyes, “No need to apologize. As long as you’re ok.”

I reach up and hold my head with my free hand, “I feel like my head is going to explode, but apart from that I’m fine.”

Chloe leans in closer and whispers in my ear, “This place is so fucked up. We can’t live like this for much longer. One of us is going to get seriously hurt,” she leans back a bit and stares deeply into my eyes, “I couldn’t live in a world without you.”

_Chloe can say such sweet things when she’s not trying to act all punk._

“Me neither.”

Chloe grins at me, “I should hope so. We spent enough time getting to this stage. I’m not about to let anyone fuck it up just because some guys can’t play nice with each other. Fuck them.”

_It’s always nice to see this side of her. The one she only ever shows to me. The vulnerable and unguarded part of her._

“I do love your rebellious side,” I chuckle.

She takes my hand in hers, placing a small kiss on it, “Well, get used to seeing more of it. The first chance I get, we are blowing this Popsicle stand. You with me?”

_‘Til the end._

“Always.”

* * *

**The Party (Age 13)**

**Samuel’s Car**

I shift uncomfortably in the seat of the car, staring outside of the window. Buildings and trees rush past me and my heart beats erratically at the thought of what I’m about to do next. My stomach churns in apprehension.

_I’ve made a big mistake._

I tap Samuel on the shoulder, “Listen, I’m not sure about this. Maybe I shouldn’t go.”

Samuel turns to me with the usual serene look on his face. His voice is soft spoken and mysterious, “Oh, Max. You don’t need to tell Samuel that meeting people is scary, but just because something is scary doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

_Easier said than done…_

I look down at my feet and sigh, “I don’t know anyone there, they might hate me.”

Samuel stops the car in front of the house in the perfect suburbian neighborhood and turns back to me, placing a hand reassuringly on my arm, “You never know who you will find. Without people, there is no hope of escape,” he smiles benevolently at me, “Go on now, find.”

_There he goes again with his cryptic clues. Will I ever understand them?_

I reluctantly exit the car and Samuel drives off, leaving me alone again. Well, with Rachel of course. I glance over to the imposing door and bite my lip nervously.

_No turning back now…_

Rachel hovers beside me and smiles, **_“It’s ok, Max. I’m here.”_**

_Having her here does make me feel a bit better. I’m not totally alone._

I take a deep breath and approach the door, tentatively knocking on it when I reach it. After hearing shuffling and footsteps behind the door it suddenly opens, revealing a short, pretty blonde woman with piercing blue eyes. When she sees me, she beams, “Hi, Max.”

_She works at the base where I’m stationed… or trapped as the case is._

She turns back into the house, “Nathan, come on I need to go,” she steps aside and beckons me in, “Come on in, Max. Don’t be shy.”

A blonde haired boy motions to the room behind him, “Hey, Max, right? Come on, we’re in the living room.”

The woman turns to Nathan, “I’m off, darling. Look after your friends and don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

He rolls his eyes and mutters, “Sure, mom. Whatever you say.”

As his mom leaves the house, he opens the door to the lounge and walks over to a table in the right hand corner where a group of teens are sat at. The TV blares in the background behind them. On the table in front of them is a pile of presents and a cake. I follow him into the room and add the wrapped present clutched in my hands to the small pile.

Nathan introduces me to the group, “Hey, everyone, this is Max. She’s in Unit 4 with my mom.”

A guy with wavy brown leans forward in his chair with interest, “Unit 4? The paranormal department?”

Another guy pipes up, he looks like a jock, “Wooo… watcha do there? Bend spoons or speak to dead people, stuff like that?”

_If only it were that mundane._

I shake my head and mumble, “No.”

Nathan looks on amusedly as he claps his hands together, “Let’s get this party started. I’ll get the beer. Everyone else get the room set up. Max, take care of the music.”

_I feel like everyone’s laughing at me. They probably are. Why did I even agree to come here?_

He points over to the far left hand corner of the room at the stereo. I walk over, crouch down and start fiddling with the dial to check the options. I don’t recognize any of the songs as I flick through.

_No Alt-J for thee…. What the hell do I choose? I have no idea. I bet people wouldn’t be into what I listen to…_

“Need a hand?” a mischievous voice calls from behind me. I turn around to locate the voice and see a girl with long blonde hair smiling back at me.

_Thank dog._

I rub the back of my neck anxiously, “Yeah actually.”

The girl bends down and presses a button and a rock type song starts to play I would never have chosen.

“Thanks I have no idea what music is in.”

_It’s kind of embarrassing to admit that._

The girl shrugs and places her hands behind her head, “No worries. It’s cool,” she points to herself with her thumb, “I’m Price, Chloe Price.”

“I’m Max Caulfield.”

She tilts her head to one side curiously, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

_I doubt she would have. This is the first party I’ve been to. Mr Jefferson thought it would be a good idea for me to go._

“No, I… don’t suppose you would have,” I sigh.

Nathan comes back into the room with a crate of beer in his hands which he places down on the table. Everyone grabs one and begins drinking. My eyes wander over to the crate and I apprehensively point over to it, “You going over there?”

Chloe shakes her head, “Nah. I’d rather not get wasted for the first time around these guys.”

_Glad to know it’s not just me…_

She gently sways to the music and taps her fingers on her leg in time to the steady beat. She turns to me with a questioning look, “Want to dance?”

_Me? Dance? I don’t think so._

“I can’t dance to save my life,” I protest, not wanting to make a total fool of myself.

She scoffs at my pathetic excuses, “Sure you can. Come on, hippie. Shake that boney white ass.”

She takes hold of my hands and drags me over to the dance floor. She jumps around animatedly, waving her arms and totally missing the beat of the music. If anyone else did that, it would look stupid, but somehow when Chloe does it, it looks amazing. Sure, it’s chaotic, but beautiful. I have never seen someone move the way she is right now. It’s enthralling and captivating. She catches my eyes sometimes. They sparkle and glisten in the low flickering light. I don’t even pay attention to anyone else in the room, only her. Somehow, she gets me moving around as violently as she does. She grins at me as I move and I find myself grinning back at her just as much.

_Maybe this party wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I’m actually kind of enjoying it._

Chloe suddenly collapses into a chair on the side lines, “Phew. I am so tired now,” she stands up abruptly, “I’m just gonna go pee.”

I shake my head and smile at her, “I really needed to know that.”

She smiles cheekily at me and gently nudges my shoulder, “Catch you later for the second part of our dance off,” with that, she exits the room.

_I look forward to it._

I perch myself on the chair and feel a small smile tug at the corner of my lips.

_Chloe Price, huh?_

I am broken out of my thought when the guy with wavy brown hair from before sits in the seat Chloe was in just moments before, “Hi. I’m Warren. Max, right?”

I nod, not saying a word.

_Oh boy. I’m starting to feel really uncomfortable. I never know what to say to guys. How come I find it so much easier to talk to girls?_

He slurs his words a bit as he speaks to me, “I haven’t seen you at school before. You don’t take classes on base?”

I shake my head, “I’m in a different programme with my own teacher. This is the first time I’ve actually mixed with people my own age.”

Warren nods and leans back in his chair, “How you finding it so far?”

_I don’t think I’m going to be a big party animal._

I look down at my hands as I wring them nervously in my lap, “To be honest I don’t really get what’s so special about this.”

Warren shrugs and takes a sip of his beer, “Parties aren’t for everyone.”

_Especially not for shy introverted people like me._

I grab my left arm with my hand for comfort, something I seem to have been doing more and more recently, “Yeah, to be honest I’d rather be out there taking photos.”

Warren stares at me for a while in silence. I keep glancing back over at him to see if he’s stopped, but he hasn’t.

_It’s kind of uncomfortable to be honest. I hope he stops soon._

He suddenly smiles at me, “You know, I’m sure you here this a lot, but you’re really pretty.”

_Oh dog. Help me._

“R-really?” I stutter, wishing that the ground could swallow me up right now.

“Uh-huh.”

_This isn’t awkward at all._

He shuffles closer to me, invading my private space. His breath smells of cheap beer, “You’re not like other girls… I mean there’s something special about you…”

I look down at my feet to avoid his intense gaze.

_Oh dog. This is too embarrassing to listen to. I’ve literally only just met the guy and he’s-_

I am suddenly brought out of my thoughts when I feel something on my lips. My eyes widen as my brain finally registers that Warren is kissing me. The second I realize this I push him away hard enough that he nearly falls off his chair. He manages to steady himself by grabbing onto the back of the chair at the last second.

I shuffle back away from him and bring my hand to my lips, “Warren, what the fuck?”

He looks at me, his eyes unfocused and his brow furrowed in confusion, “Sorry. I thought…”

I stare at him incredulously, feeling violated and betrayed by his actions, “There’s a thing called asking.”

He looks down at the floor, scratching at his head and shuffling on the chair, “Well, I mean it’s a party and all…”

_I don’t want to be here anymore. I’m leaving._

I stand up abruptly, ready to leave this awful place, but am stopped when Nathan grabs onto my wrist. He has a sneer on his lips and a cruel glint in his eyes, “Leaving so soon, Max? We wanted a demonstration of your powers.”

_I need to get out of here._

“No, no, no, I-” I am cut off when the others begin to surround me and push me.

“Come on, Max.”

“It’s a load of bullshit.”

“Show us what you can do.”

They slowly encircle me, blocking off all possible means of escape.

“I… don’t have powers.”

I frantically look around for a way to escape, but find nothing. I can’t see Chloe either. She must still be in the bathroom.

_Damn it. The one person who was nice to me isn’t here. I have to go._

Their voices all merge into one.

“Sure you don’t. You’re just a little lab rat.”

“Did you see her and Warren getting it on?”

“Oh… and she’s a slut too…”

“I never wanted to invite her, my mom made me…”

“Yeah she’s a slut.”

“A slut and a witch.”

They come closer and closer to me, “What do you do with witches? You burn them.”

I feel a searing pain on my arm as one of them put a lit cigarette on my arm. My arm recoils from the pain as the skin starts to turn red and blister. They suddenly lift me into the air, their hands scratching at my skin. I try to escape to free myself to little avail, “LET ME GO!”

I squirm desperately as they violently throw me into a closet underneath the stairs and lock me in. I bang on the door, screaming and crying as they laugh and walk away. I hug my knees tight and my breathing begins to spiral out of control.

_No, I don’t want to be here. I want to go home. The darkness is when the monsters come. Shit!_

My throat closes up, making it hard to breathe.

_I can’t breathe… I can’t…_

**_“Max!”_** Rachel’s voice finally pushes through to me, calming my nerves a little.

_Rachel._

She sighs in relief, **_“I finally got through. I’ve been trying for a few minutes. Calm down. I need you to have a clear head. I know it’s scary, but we have to be strong.”_**

I hug my knees tighter and swipe at my stinging eyes.

_Why did they do that? What did I do to them?_

Rachel sighs, **_“People need little excuse to be assholes.”_**

_What are we going to do?_

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and lift my head from my hands.

**_“I’ll go see who it is,”_** Rachel goes out of the cupboard, her ghostly figure passing through it with ease. After a few seconds, she comes back in, **_“Max, it’s that girl from earlier. Bang on the door.”_**

I start pounding on the door with all my might. The footsteps stop in front of the cupboard door and a hesitant voice calls out, “Guys, this isn’t funny. You’re not scaring me. Knock it off.”

**_“Max, you need to call out for her.”_ **

I try to speak, but my voice is choked, “Ch-Chloe. I’m stuck,” I feel the warm tears fall down my cheek, my voice thicker because of it and swipe at my eyes.

_Get it together, Max._

“Max? Hold on a moment,” I hear shuffling and a quiet click as the door opens, revealing Chloe crouched there with a confused expression, “What you doing in here?”

I launch myself at her, nearly knocking her backwards, but she manages to steady herself before she falls back.

_I am so glad she came by when she did. Any longer and… and…_

I feel something on my head and glance up to see it is her hand, “Hey, it’s ok.”

As she strokes my head, I begin to slowly unravel, “They… they locked me in here.”

Chloe hugs me tighter, “What? Why?”

I whisper into her neck, “Because I’m a freak, that’s why.”

She is silent for a moment, then gently breaks away from me, “What makes you say that?”

I sigh, “You don’t know, do you?”

She raises a strawberry blonde eyebrow in confusion, “Know what?”

_Why would she know?_

I worry my lip between my teeth.

_Do I risk it all and show her? What if she rejects me like the others?_

**_“Max…” Rachel whispers in a hushed tone as she looks on at me._ **

I look around to find there are a lot of cardboard boxes in here.

_Rachel. Make that box over there move._

**_“You sure?” she hesitates, sensing the apprehension in me._ **

I nod. Rachel gives me one last look, one last chance to change my mind, then lifts the box up into the air. She moves it and nudges Chloe with it to get her attention. Chloe turns to look at it for a second, then looks at me expectantly. She abruptly swivels her head back to the box, staring at it in disbelief. She runs her hands around the box to make sure it’s not a trick then turns to me, shock in her eyes.

_You will never fit in, Max. No-one will ever accept you._

My body instinctively closes in on itself as I ping the bands on my wrist, not looking at her, “See. I’m a freak I told you,” the tears threaten to fall again, stinging at my eyes.

“No.”

_What?_

My head snaps upwards, “No?”

Chloe bites the inside of her lip and pops her head out of the cupboard. She then leaves it slightly ajar and sighs, “I’m going to let you in on a secret. Can you keep a secret?”

I nod, “Yes.”

A small blue butterfly flies in through the crack in the door. It suddenly morphs into a white kitten before my eyes. It shakes out its fur, puffs out its fluffy white fur and looks up at me, blinking as it assesses its surroundings. It meows and purrs at me, brushing up against my leg.

I glance up from the kitten with my mouth agape, “How… how did you do that?”

She offers me a sad smile, “Because… I’m a “freak” too.”

_I didn’t know there were other people like me. They never said anything before… just another secret they’ve kept from me._

“I’ve… never met anyone like me before,” I admit.

Chloe stares at the white kitten as it curls around me, mewling, “There aren’t too many, no. I think you’re the first one I’ve met too.”

I scratch behind the kitten’s ears which makes Chloe move her head slightly and close her eyes, “Oh that’s the good spot.”

I stifle a giggle, “You can feel that?”

She opens her eyes a fraction, “Yep, don’t… don’t stop now. Tease much.”

I giggle and scratch again. Both the kitten and Chloe close their eyes, the cat purrs and Chloe lets out a content sigh. It’s a truly strange sight to behold.

“Can you feel everything?” I stop so she can answer me properly.

The cat sits up proudly, gazing up at me as Chloe replies, “Not when I touch him, but when others do, I can feel it and visa-versa. Well, we haven’t tried everything, but at least for most things. It’s not like I can taste it when he eats cat food or something. That would be hella gross.”

_This is crazy and amazing. That there is even someone like me is already insane, but to have someone of a similar age is just mind boggling._

“That would be,” I agree, “Does he have a name?”

Chloe tickles his chin, “Bongo. He can also transform into the butterfly you saw earlier. Pretty crazy, huh?”

Bongo stares at me intently, watching my every move, his gaze seemingly piercing my very soul.

“I think it’s nice,” I mention as he comes and gets settles in my lap, looking up at me adoringly with bright blue eyes, much like Chloe’s. They are focused on me intently.

_I couldn’t have pets at the department. While Bongo obviously isn’t your average pet, but still he acts like any other cat would._

Chloe shifts into a more comfortable position, “If I train, I could potentially increase the number of animals he can transform into, which is useful. Before, Bongo only turned into a kitten. They call the kitten form a “base version”, whatevs the hell that means.”

_I wonder if it’s similar to me and Rachel._

Bongo paws at my hand impatiently, demanding my full attention as I speak with Chloe, “So, can you see through his eyes?”

Chloe closes her eyes momentarily in thought, “No, it’s not like that as such. We’re just sort of connected and we do our own stuff. We can’t get too far away, but we’re training to increase that distance.”

_So a little bit like me._

Bongo playfully nips at my finger. I waggle it and he bats it with his paw playfully. Chloe stares at him, a small smile forming on her lips, “He likes you. That’s rare,” he latches onto my finger and starts to groom it. Chloe sighs, “Bongo, knock it off. No-one wants your slobber over them.”

He ignores he and continues to lick at my finger. I giggle at the situation, “I don’t mind.”

Chloe shakes her head and smiles at me, “Maybe you **_are_** a freak.”

I push her playfully with my free hand, “Hey!”

She laughs manically at my comment and then looks at me inquisitively, “So what’s the deal with you?”

I stare down at Bongo, who has given up on grooming and has opted to curl up on my lap, “I have a girl called Rachel, who is connected to me. She looks a bit like a ghost. I don’t know where she came from or what she is really. She talks to me and helps me see and do things I shouldn’t be able to.”

Chloe tilts her head to the side curiously, “What like read minds?”

_I haven’t tried that before. That would be quite a useful skill to have._

I glance over at Rachel, who offers me a smug smirk, “She helps me see memories and move things without touching them, stuff like that.”

Chloe seems impressed, “Sweet.”

_Oh, look at us two, bonding over our weird powers._

“She never does as she’s told though,” I narrow my eyes at her.

Rachel grins defiantly at me, **_“Damn right I don’t!”_**

Chloe smirks and looks down at Bongo in my lap, “That sounds familiar. Bongo here is a complete rebel, like me. Aren’t you, you little sod?”

She tickles his tummy, causing him to stretch and purr loudly. I join in, running my fingernails along Bongo’s fluffy white belly. Chloe has a mixed expression on her face as my fingers tangle in Bongo’s long white fur.

“You ok?” I ask.

Her brow furrows in confusion and she bites her lip, “Yeah, Bongo’s just never been tickled on the tummy before, at least by someone else.”

“Really?”

Chloe nods, “Bongo doesn’t usually get this much attention where I’m at. Not like that anyway. I just have the sudden urge to roll around on the floor is all.”

The mental image alone is enough to make me giggle, “You might hit your head.”

Chloe looks around and rubs the back of her neck nervously, “Yeah, I might. Not really the biggest space or anything, is it?”

I hadn’t really realized how close I was to her before. I don’t think Chloe had either, given her sudden bashfulness. Our feet are almost touching in this cramped space and I swear I see her blush slightly, but she turns away before I get a proper chance to see, “Uh… yeah… so… this party kind of sucked ass, right?”

_I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I think it’s safe to say that it sucked._

“At least I got to meet you,” I mention.

Chloe beams at me, “Yeah. I’m glad for that bit. These guys are kind of assholes. I wanted to get out a try it though. You know?”

_I thought I wanted to act like a normal teenager, but I guess I’m not._

I nod, “I think that’s the last party I’m going to. At least where I don’t know everyone.”

Chloe looks down at the floor and waggles her finger along the floorboards. Bongo’s ears prick up and his eyes grow big. He gets ready to pounce on her, “What happened while I was away?”

_Too much stuff. All of it horrible._

I stare down at Bongo, watching him follow Chloe’s finger intently, “Some guy kissed me out of the blue without even asking me.”

Chloe looks up, her face stoic, her eyes hard to read, “Which one?”

“Warren.”

She rolls her eyes and Bongo takes this opportunity while she is distracted to pounce. He nips playfully at her finger, “That guy just doesn’t take a fucking hint. Sorry that happened to you. He tries it on with everyone. Does he think girls are Pokémons or something?”

_Maybe._

“Boys are hella gross,” she states.

_Had I only known that…_

“Yeah.”

She continues more confidently, “I have more charm in my little toe than that guy has in his entire body. That douchebag wouldn’t know what to do with a girl.”

_We have some fighting talk here._

My eyebrow raises questioningly, “And you would?”

Chloe winks at me, “I would. I bet I kiss way better than he does.”

I think for a moment, then in a decisive moment I say, “I tell you what. You kiss me and I can compare.”

Chloe’s eyes hold uncertainty and she swallows, “Wait, you… you want me to kiss you?”

_I’m kind of surprised I said that. I wouldn’t normally. I’m usually so shy. No going back now…_

I clear my throat nervously, “P-purely for science of course.”

She raises an eyebrow skeptically, “Science?”

I nod, “Yeah, experimental science.”

She strokes her chin for a moment, then shrugs, “Sure. If it proves I’m right. I won’t back down from a challenge.”

My heart rate picks up at her words, “O-ok then.”

We sit there awkwardly for a moment, neither of us sure how to start. Chloe’s eyes suddenly show determination and she leans in, pressing her lips gently on mine. She shyly moves her lips against mine, an action I mirror. I tentatively grab for her hand and reaches out for me, intertwining our fingers.

_This is so different from when Warren did it. I feel my body heat up and shivers are sent down my spine._

I feel something digging into my back, but I couldn’t care less right now. I’ll deal with the consequences of that later. I can taste the slight hint of orange.

_Is she wearing lip balm?_

Before I have the chance to properly decide she pulls away and gazes into my eyes. Her cheeks turn pink as she hesitantly stutters, “So… what’s the verdict?”

_Wowser. Did that just happen? It all seems like a dream. Maybe it is. If it is, then it’s the most awesome dream I have ever had and I have no plans to wake up anytime soon. It only lasted for a few seconds but… but it felt so…_

I sit there in a daze for a couple of seconds, trying to process what just happened. When I finally regain my senses, I clear my throat, “Not sure.”

“What?”

I play with her hand, moving her fingers from side to side, “I need to test more. You know, increase the reliability and all that.”

Chloe’s eyes show a knowing glint as her face leans in closer to me, her voice low, “I’m sure that could be… arranged.”

She kisses my nose, then my cheek and finally my lips. Bongo rubs up against my free hand, purring his chops off. I stroke behind his ear, causing Chloe to spasm slightly.

“You ok?”

Chloe looks dazed, “That was… weird. I’ve never had that happen so strongly before,” she shrugs and continues our kiss. I try Bongo’s ear again which causes Chloe to shudder, “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Maybe.”

She offers me a lopsided grin, “So, enough data now?”

_I knew from the first time that it was way better. First of all, I wanted to do it._

“I think I have sufficient data.”

Her blue eyes show a slight hint of uncertainty, “And…?”

Bongo stares up at me expectantly.

“And I can safely tell you that your hypothesis was correct.”

Chloe grins victoriously, “Told you.”

_I haven’t ever felt anything like that before… it was like the air was full of electricity._

“Obviously, we might need to… test again in the future.”

Chloe gives me a charming smile, “I would happily participate in your experiments.”

_Is this even happening right now? What are the odds?_

I hear a car horn from outside and look down at my watch, “Shit. I… have to go.”

Chloe offers me an uncertain smile, her voice wavers slightly, “Maybe I’ll see you around, yeah?”

I squeeze her hand, “I hope so.”

_I’m kind of reluctant the leave… but I have to before they send out a search party or something._

I briefly press my lips against hers again, then run outside and hop in the car.

_Wowser… I don’t know what just happened, but I’m glad it did. I guess this party wasn’t a total flop after all._

I sit there smiling to myself like the complete dork I am as we drive back to the base. I touch my lips with my hand and can still taste the orange on my lips.

_I want to see her again. How do I find her? I wonder…_

“Samuel,” I call out hesitantly, “Do you know a girl named Chloe Price?”

He glances in the rear-view mirror, “Samuel recognizes the name, yes,” he smiles at me in the mirror, “Glad to see you’re taking Samuel’s advice. Find her, Max.”

_I intend to, no matter what._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The startings of Pricefield. Yeah, so I have already diverged a lot from the actual story of Beyond Two Souls. Anyway, have a great day guys and see you next time.


	3. Confinement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is finally old enough to transfer to the CIA programme and join Chloe, much to their great delight. Even if it's not ideal, at least they are finally together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. How's it going? Here we have the next chapter.  
> Enjoy.

**Chapter Three: Confinement**

**First Interview (Age 8)**

**Waiting Room**

I sit on a chair, swinging my feet as I wait.

Rachel sits in the chair beside me and moans, **_“This is boooooooring.”_**

_Yeah. It is._

It’s been about ten minutes since mom went in the office opposite the chairs, but it feels way long. Rachel has been messing around with some of the things here, causing mischief to keep us entertained and also eavesdropping on conversations. After what feels like an eternity, Mom finally exits the office and almost sits on Rachel. She moves out of the way at the last second. She wouldn’t have gotten squished or anything, but it’s still best not to have people sit on you.

Mom offers me a tired smile and takes hold of my hands, “Dr Wells is going to be replacing Dr Matthew. He’s the one who’s going to be taking care of you from now on,” she leans in closer to me, “He seems really nice. Go on, he wants to meet you.”

_I don’t wanna meet him… I want to go home._

Mom puts her hand on my arm, “Go on. Hurry up. I’ll be right here, sweetheart,” she sits back in her chair and stares at me expectantly, her arms folded across her chest.

I shuffle off the chair and enter a door to my right where mom just came out of. A bald man sits at a desk examining a book in his hands. When he hears me come in, he looks up from the book and smiles, “Hello, Max. Come in! My name is Ray Wells. I thought it would be a good idea for us to have a little chat, get to know each other a little better… if you’re ok with that.”

_Mom said I had to be on my best behavior and talk with him… even though I don’t wanna._

**_“We can get through this, Max,”_** Rachel encourages me.

I sit on the chair opposite him and he gives me a long hard look, then leans forward. There is a tape recording thing on the desk in front of him.

_I already find it hard to talk to people I don’t know. That doesn’t make it easier._

I swallow to wet my suddenly dry throat, my heart beats faster and I feel sweat form on my head as I grab my left arm with my hand for comfort.

_I don’t like it._

Rachel stands beside me, **_“Be brave.”_**

Ray leans forward in his chair, propping elbows on the table and clasping his hands together, “My job is to study strange… ‘events’ and try to explain them, like the things that happen around you, right Max?”

I sit there quietly, my feet dangling in the air as I swing them back and forth, only offering a shrug in response.  

_One day, they’ll touch the floor when I sit down._

“Your mother tells me you have an invisible friend…” he continues.

_When I told other people, they made fun of me for it. I don’t want that to happen again._

I shrug as he stares at me intensely, “This… friend… has she been with you a long time?”

_It kind of makes me feel uncomfortable._

I just shrug again while he presses on, “Since you were born?”

_I’ve had enough of questions. I’m tired and I don’t wanna be here. I know I’m a freak, people always tell me that._

I do what I always do, shrug. My silence doesn’t deter him, “Is she a ghost or a spirit of someone who passed away?” I shake my head.

_Neither of us really know. I don’t think she is though._

“Can you… draw her for me?” he asks. I look down at my well-worn shoes and nod.

_I like drawing. It’s fun. I can make my own friends and a world for us to play in._

He grabs some paper and pens from the desk and hands them to me. I shuffle forward and look at the pens. There is a black, blue and red pen.

_Not really the colors I need, but it’ll have to do._

I look over at Rachel who smiles at me and poses to lighten the mood, **_“Get my good side.”_**

A few minutes later, I stop and look down at the drawing. Rachel leans over my shoulder to look at it, **_“Not bad, Max.”_**

I lean back in my chair, leaving the drawing on the table. Ray glances down at the paper, “Mind if I take a look?”

I shake my head, signalling that it’s ok. He pulls the drawing to him and looks at it, his brow furrowing. He glances up at me and points at the drawing, “So, this girl is your friend… and she’s connected to you with some kind of… cord?” he looks around the office, “Is she here now?”

I nod.

“Can you tell her to do something?”

I glance over at Rachel who seems as apprehensive as I am to demonstrate.

**_“What do you want me to do?”_ **

I look around and focus on the computer screen. Rachel walks over and messes around with it causing the screen goes black and make a weird noise. He turns to it in awe, “You…” he points at me, “tell her what to do… and it happens?”

I shake my head, not looking at him, “I don’t tell Rachel what to do. No-one does. She’s like a trapped lioness in a cage. We’re tied together. She can’t go away. That makes her really angry… It’s not my fault. I want her to leave too… She can be really scary sometimes…”

He points to the red marks and scratches on my arms, “Did she do that to you?”

I shake my head and put my feet on the chair, hugging my legs as I rest my head on my knees, “No. That was the monsters. Rachel protects me from them, but they are really scary. She gets scared too.”

**_“I won’t ever let them get you, even if I’m scared,”_** Rachel confirms, her expression determined.

Ray leans back in his chair and sighs, rubbing his temples at the new information.

_No-one will ever understand… only me and Rachel._

* * *

**Welcome to the CIA (Age 18-20)**

**Chloe’s Truck**

My eyes wander over the inside of Chloe’s beat up truck as we approach ever closer to our destination. Random scrapes of paper and cans are strewn across the dashboard, a small feather and skull charm hangs from her rear-view mirror and graffiti, aka Chloe’s self-expression, covers almost every square inch, the very thoughts in her head immortalized. I stare absentmindedly out of the window and watch the trees rush past as we drive. We are in the middle of nowhere now.

_I guess they don’t want people stumbling across it._

I glance over at Chloe, who’s eyes are focused dead ahead, her hands firmly placed on the steering wheel as she drives. A small smile tugs at the corner of my lips as I look at her.

_Finally, we can be together. It’s taken long enough._

She catches me staring and reaches over, placing a hand on mine, “You ready, super Max?”

I lean over and give her a quick kiss on the cheek, “Always.”

* * *

We walk hand in hand down a long corridor lined with metal doors, Bongo trotting proudly beside us. As we approach the door on the far right hand side, Chloe pulls a small key out of her pocket. She stands in front of it and shoves the key in the lock, opening it with a quiet click. She pushes on the door and steps aside to let me through, “Welcome to my domain.”

The room is very minimally decorated. A double bed sits in the far right hand corner taking up most of the space in the room, where Bongo has now gotten settle on the pillows. A metal desk and chair sit to the left. Another chair sits in the far left hand corner. A small kitchen area is tucked away just to the right of the door and a tiny bathroom to the left. I peak inside to find a basic toilet, sink and shower.

_It all looks so… clean. In fact this whole room does. I wouldn’t have ever guessed that Chloe had been living here for almost a year. She used to just have to look at a room before it got dirty. I guess military life changes you… whether you like it or not._

I walk up to the large window overlooking the area and can see a forest in the distance, tall trees gently sway in the wind. The sunlight seeps through the window, illuminating the small living space. I open the window a bit, letting the cool soothing air into the room. I put my hand on the window, peering outside to see other people training below.

_Here’s to more confinement… just with a prettier view. At least I’ll have Chloe with me this time._

As I breathe on the window, it fogs up slightly and obscures the view of the outside world. I take my finger and idly doodle, the crisp lines forming a heart. A few strokes later and an arrow with initials materializes.

_Call me a nerd if you will, but I am a proud romantic. Actually…_

I reach into my bag and take out my camera. I line up my shot, getting the right angle for the best lighting and making sure it’s in focus, I snap the shot. I carefully take the newly produced photo and inspect it.

_Another Pulitzer for the portfolio._

I put away my camera and set my bag on the floor near my feet, “I’m so glad you managed to get them to let us share.”

I feel a warm pressure on my back as Chloe hugs me from behind, her hands wrap around me tightly, pulling my body back into hers. She kisses the nape of my neck, which causes a shudder to run down my spine.

_To be honest, we haven’t really spent much time as a couple before. Right after we sorted everything out, Chloe had to start preparing for the CIA programme and I had things too. I mean, we’ve kind of had a thing for each other for a long time ever since that party, but it took a while to actually become something. I’m nervous actually, in an excited kind of way. This is the thing I have been waiting five long years for._

I can feel my cheeks heating up from the intimacy of the situation and swallow to wet my dry throat, “Someone isn’t wasting any time.”

She holds me tighter, her voice low and husky, “Well, it’s been hard not being able to see you whenever I wanted to... which is literally all the time. At least now we’ll be together. I’ve… I’ve hella missed you, Max.”

The way my name sounds as it passes her lips makes my body quiver. Chloe loosens her hold to let me turn round. I lean into her, pulling her head down to me and capture her lips. She presses her body close to me and moves her lips against mine. The kiss becomes rougher and I feel Chloe’s tongue slide into my mouth. I reach up and tangle my fingers in her hair, scratching her scalp gently, making Chloe sigh into my mouth and press herself harder against me. Bongo sits happily on the bed, purring loudly.

_Fuck. I’ve missed her in so many ways. Recently I’ve been thinking more and more about her. I can’t seem to get her out of my head. She even invades my dreams. I’ve had a few very… vivid dreams with her in them._

Rachel’s voice echoes in my mind, **_“You’re telling me. I quite enjoyed them. You really have an interesting imagination, you know.”_**

_I sometimes forget that Rachel can see them too. It’s not really embarrassing though. We’re basically the same person at the end of the day. Damn these hormones._

She slowly pulls away, her vibrant blue eyes gazing into mine. They shimmer and sparkle in a way I have never seen before as her lip quirks upwards into a lop-sided smile, “I’m hoping the security guy was taking a piss, otherwise he would have seen that.”

_Huh?_

“What?!” I exclaim, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

Chloe grins at me mischievously, “Don’t worry, there aren’t any cameras in here. That would be hella creepy.”

I push her hard, “You ass!”

She laughs and makes her way over to the bed. She perches herself on the edge and starts to undo her boots, Bongo watching intently as her laces move, “Come on. We have an early start tomorrow. Five am.”

I groan, “Oh dog. This is gonna be hard.”

Chloe takes off her boots and chuckles, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re up.”

_Don’t I know it. Whenever Chloe stayed round for a sleepover, she always used to jump on me until I woke up. She’d stick her cold hands up my top, tickle me, blow raspberries on my stomach, more recently… she’s been more gently, kissing me, caressing my skin…_

I shake my head and smile, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

She gives me a cheeky grin and gets settled, then pats the space beside her, “Come on, hippie. I need my snuggle buddy.”

“And you say I’m the dork.”

Chloe sticks out her tongue, “Because you are.”

I proceed to remove my boots and climb in beside her. I reach out for her hand, intertwining our fingers as she drapes her arm across my waist and nuzzles into my neck. I feel her whisper against my skin, “Night, Max.”

* * *

Chloe stands beside me, her pinkie finger lightly grazing mine as David Madsen, the military specialist in this place, barks out the commands.

_Day one of training._

She whispers to me as he finishes, “I’ll race you.”

A gunshot goes off and the obstacle course begins. I start by lightly jogging, but Chloe zooms past me and glances back over her shoulder with an amused smirk, “Come on, super Max. You can do better than that.”

_No way is she gonna beat me. I wouldn’t hear the end of it._

I pick up the pace and manage to catch up with her. She pants lightly and I see the sweat on her brow, “Im-impressive, Caulfield.”

We come up to some hurdles. Chloe dashes ahead and vaults them, with me not too far behind. Monkey bars are the next obstacle. Chloe passes over it with ease, as do I.

_I guess_ _all those times Chloe and I snuck out to the nearby park have paid off._

A huge climbing wall comes into view, which we both scale quickly. We run side by side on the home stretch, “Damn, Max,” Chloe pants, “You’re doing way better than I thought,” she grins at me and suddenly speeds off and leaves me in the dust, “but not good enough.”

* * *

Chloe and I get geared up, ready to fight. I had learned a bit about hand to hand combat before now from reading books, watching vids and having way too much time on my hands. Also by messing around with Chloe sometimes when we met up.

I put my hands up defensively and take a deep breath, “You’d better not play dirty, Price.”

She puts on an expression of mock hurt, “Me… play dirty? You wound me.”

I crack my knuckles, “I’m about to.”

Chloe grins, “That’s fighting talk.”

David lifts his hand up to signal us to start.

Chloe comes in with a right hook, which I easily dodge. I am suddenly swept off my feet as her leg hits the side mine, making my leg buckle and I fall down onto the mat. Chloe did a leg sweep while I was distracted fending off her hand.

_Goddamn it._

She smirks at me smugly and holds out her hand to help me up, “You’ll have to do better than that, Cau-” I grab onto her hand and use the motion to throw her over my shoulder onto the floor.

I get up and look at her laying there on the floor. She seems completely stunned by my sudden action, then grins proudly at me, “Holy shit, Max. That was hardcore,” she jumps to her feet and winks, “I guess I won’t be going so easy on you in the future.”

* * *

Chloe peers round the corner and motions for me to move up and I swiftly take out the first guard. Rachel checks that the coast is clear. When she nods, I signal for Chloe to move up. Bongo transforms into a blue butterfly and circles overhead to get a better look at the area as a whole.

_We’ve become a really deadly team. No-one has caught us, ever._

There is a guard up on one of the crates. I silently climb up the ladder and take him out.  Rachel takes control of another guard, making him hit his comrade, then knocking himself out. I glance over to see where Chloe is and see her pulling one of the unconscious guards behind a crate so as to hide him from view. She waves at me.

_I think that’s all of them._

David nods at us to signal the end. Chloe walks up to me and throws an arm around my shoulder, a smug grin on her face, “Hella yes. I got one more guard than you.”

_Not this again._

“No way. You so didn’t. Why do you always have to turn everything into a competition?”

Chloe smirks, “What? Afraid I’ll beat you?”

I gently push her, “Hardly.”

* * *

We lay out in the sun on the grounds, a rare moment of respite. We watch the clouds go past, merging together and making strange sometimes reminiscent shapes against the blue. As my head rests on Chloe’s chest I can hear her steady heartbeat. It’s mesmerizing and is sending me off to sleep, my eyes struggling to stay open. In her arms, I feel safe and secure.

“Max…”

The sound of her voice makes me glance up at her with tired eyes, “Yeah?”

She kisses my forehead, “It’s good to have you with me. I’ve been bored out of my mind for the past year. Some people here are ok, but a lot of them are assholes who think they are God’s gift.”

I sigh contently, “Well, I may not be glad to be here, but I am happy to finally be able to spend some time with you,” I reach out and play with Chloe’s necklace, three bullets dangling down from the thin black chain. I idly rub the middle one between my fingers and thumb.

“I hear that,” she sighs, “This place isn’t exactly the nicest place to be for us.”

_No matter how everyone tries to dress it up, this is still a prison to confine us and train us to be ruthless killing machines without remorse._

I snuggle up closer to her, “We’ll make it through… together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the story. I hope you enjoyed it.  
> See you next time, stay safe out there.


	4. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is on the run...she always has been in a way. Always trying to escape something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Here is the next chapter.  
> Enjoy.

**Chapter Four: Escape**

**Hunted (Age 22)**

**Train**

“Mmm…”

I open my bleary eyes slowly, my vision slowly beginning to refocus. I notice that my head is leaned against Chloe’s shoulder and her hand is firmly placed in mine. Her chest rises and falls steadily as she breathes, her face completely relaxed as she lightly snores.

I give her a peck on the cheek and whisper in her ear, “Time to wake up.”

Chloe shifts and her eyes open, groggily looking around to try and figure out where she is.

_That moment of bliss when you forget that you are on the run and being hunted down…_

I gaze out of the window of the train carriage we are currently sitting in, my breath fogging up the glass. I rub the condensation away, exposing the outside world. Trees speed past, every now and then a blinding red light can be seen. The clicking of the train on the tracks floods the air, each time the train rocks gently from side to side.

I glance back over at her to make sure she’s actually awake. As much as I would have loved to let her continue dreaming, we have things to do, “We’re nearly there… I think.”

She stretches, her entire body clicking then turns to me, offering up a sleepy smile, “Yeah, like you really know where we are going.”

I nudge her gently on the arm, “Neither do you.”

_That’s the problem. We didn’t really have a plan beyond ‘escape that shitpit’, as Chloe so lovingly put it._

Chloe briefly glances out of the window, then back at me, “Anywhere other than that hellhole is fine by me,” she gazes deeply into my eyes and squeezes my hand, “as long as your there with me.”

As the train shakes and shudders to an unexpected stop, her eyes, once calm and relaxed, are now fill with fear, “They weren’t supposed to stop here, right?” she asks as she slowly peers down the aisle to try and see what’s going on.

Rachel’s urgent voice fills my head, ** _“Max, there’re coming.”_**

Bongo, who was happily curled up on my lap purring, becomes tense, his ears pulled back as he listens attentively. He transforms into a bird and flies out of the window, fluttering off to the front of the train to investigate.

Chloe glances over at me fearfully, her voice low and little more than a whisper, “Max… I’m scared.”

I grasp her hand tight, “Me too.”

Bongo flies back to Chloe and they seem to have a non-verbal conversation with one another. Chloe puts her head in her hands and then hits the side of the train in frustration, which turns a few heads our way at the sound.

She exhales sharply from the pain, “Fuck. Why can’t they just leave us the fuck alone?”

I take hold of her hand and place a small kiss on it, “I don’t think they ever will.”

Footsteps echo through the train. Chloe subtly grabs her things, as do I. She pulls her beanie down further and I move my hood in order to obscure our identity. Those bastards would have put out a pretty detailed description of us, so there is no way people wouldn’t recognize us.

“Max,” she whispers to me as two guards enter our carriage, swaggering closer and closer, “we have to go, now. Ready?”

I squeeze her hand to confirm. We suddenly jump up from our seats and run as fast as we can through the carriage, throwing suitcases and bags in the aisle to slow them down much to the discontent of our fellow passengers. I glance back over my shoulder and see the guards on our tail, shouting at us to stop.

_The train only goes on for so long. We have to find a way to get out of here._

I scan the area frantically as we run, trying to find an escape route. Ahead in one of the carriages are a few large windows.

_Rachel, can you break one of those windows._

**_“Sure thing.”_ **

She smashes the window furthest from us, causing it to explode and the jagged shards fly onto the floor. Chloe and I scramble out onto the top off the train through the now glassless window. Some of the people chasing us, which turns out to be way more than two, follow us onto the roof and begin to surround us. My mind races as I try to think up some way out of this.

_There is always a way out… there has to be._

Some of the guards have guns. They point them at us, ordering us to surrender.

_Not on your fucking life._

The bitter wind bites at my skin and the rain pelts down on us as our situation gets more dire by the second.

_There are so many. We could try to take them, but one of us might get hurt… or worse. I don’t want either of us to get hurt, ever again._

Chloe tenses up beside me, ready to fight… to the death if she has to.

_We can’t go back there. I don’t even want to think what they’ll do to us. Shit. Think._

**_“Max, jump. I’ll catch you.”_ **

I turn my head to see Rachel looking at me reassuringly.

_You’d better._

My grip around Chloe’s hand tightens, “Chloe, we have to jump.”

She looks over at me like I’m completely crazy, not that I blame her, “Jump!? Are you fucking insane!?” she shouts over the rain and gale force winds to be heard, “We aren’t invincible, Max. The impact will most definitely kill us.”

I take hold of her and back up to the edge, “Just trust me, ok?”

She closes her eyes, sighs and then nods, “Ok. I trust you.”

The guards advance, shouting at us to get on our knees. I don’t pay attention to them as I touch Chloe’s face tenderly and kiss her. As I do, I step back and fall…

I feel us being guided down, encased in our own bubble to the ground.

_Another one of Rachel’s skills that I am thankful for._

As soon as we are able to, we run for our lives, ducking under branches, jumping over stumps. Lights flash behind us, dogs bark, shouting…

“Max, turn left here!”

I make a sharp turn and a tall rocky surface comes into view.

“We have to scale it, quickly!”

_All that CIA training might come in handy after all._

We climb up as fast as we can, narrowly missing our pursuers and I can hear their cursing down below. Chloe makes it to the top first and reaches down, pulling me up, “That was clo-”

Blue and red lights flash up ahead and I pull her down behind a rock so we aren’t seen. She looks at me questioningly, then realizes what I was trying to hide from and gives me an appreciative smile.

_How much longer can we do this? Our luck’s got to run out at some point._

I peek round and see an unattended bike. I tug on Chloe’s arm and whisper, “Chloe, you know how to ride a bike?”

She looks confused, one eyebrow raised, “Yeah, but I don’t see how that’s relevant now. I hadn’t really planned on starting my own biker gang or anything… although that would be hella cool…”

“Chloe, focus.”

She nods, “Right, sorry.”

I point over to the bike. Chloe stares at it for a moment, not really getting it then suddenly her eyes show realization and she hugs me, “You are a genius, super Max.”

“I know.”

She shakes her head, suppressing a smile, “Don’t get too cocky.”

I look out from behind the rock and see at least three guards standing on the road.

_It’d be better if we didn’t draw attention. Three guards, easy… but they might attract others if they see us…_

“How are we going to get to it?”

Chloe contemplates for a moment, then a familiar glint forms in her eyes as she grins tiredly at me, “I taught Bongo a new trick. Wanna see it?”

_Neither of us has really had the chance to sleep, not properly anyway. Same with food._

She closes her eyes in concentration and Bongo transforms into a silvery-blue wolf. He comes over and nuzzles up against me, his big blue eyes staring up at me adoringly. He’s a lot skinnier than before, and there are some nasty looking gashes on his body, dried blood sits on his matted fur.

_Just like Chloe._

I gently stroke his fur, “Wow. That is so cool.”

“I know, right? Bongo should scare the shit out of them… or at least he has some teeth and claws to… you know.”

The weight of Chloe’s unspoken words bears down on me.

_I don’t like having to resort to killing people, but they just won’t leave us alone. I hate this… but we have little choice. There is always a choice…_

Bongo snarls menacingly and proceeds towards them. When they see him, they point and back away. This distraction gives us enough time to run over to the bike. Chloe jumpstarts it and we speed off down the road. A blue bird flies beside us.

Chloe shouts over the fierce wind, “Good job, Bongo.”

She expertly navigates round the tight corners of the road as I grip onto her tightly, the wind whipping through my hair.

_I would be having fun if this wasn’t a case of life or death. Isn’t this a typically used scene in all those cheesy romance films I’ve watched too many times to count? Minus the whole someone trying to kill you bit of course. Maybe one day…_

I grip on tighter to Chloe, resting my head on her back.

_Even with all the shit that has happened… I wouldn’t take any of it back. This is the only way Chloe and I can truly live. If we had stayed…_

“Balls!” Chloe’s voice gets lost in the wind. There is a road block up ahead, guards standing and waiting for us. As they see us approach, they hold out their guns and start shouting out orders. She turns to me a bit, her voice wavers, “What do we do, Max?”

_Rach… little help?_

**_“I’m working on it. Just… keep going for now. I’ll figure something out… probably.”_ **

I try to make myself heard over the howling wind, “Rachel is trying to come up with something. Just keep going.”

Chloe doesn’t say anything for a moment, “Ok. Tell her to hurry up. I am actually rather attached to being alive.”

She keeps up her pace as we draw closer and closer. They aim their guns at us, ready to shoot and most likely to kill.

_Rachel?_

Chloe’s body shakes against me, “Max…?”

_Is it from the cold…or from the fear?_

**_“Ok, hold on tight.”_ **

A blue tinted barrier slowly forms around us and we smash our way through the road block, guards and armored trucks flying into the air from the impact. I hear gunshots behind us, but the bullets disintegrate when they touch the barrier. Chloe laughs manically as we pull away from them, “This is so fucking cool! We showed them!”

_I love how even in these dangerous situations Chloe doesn’t lose herself. She enjoys it in a way. Like a real life action movie. I have to admit, when things go our way, it’s great… that doesn’t happen often though._

Her faded blue hair is plastered to her head due to the rain, hair my hands have run through so many times.

_We are so going to get colds because of this._

* * *

After a while, we make it to a nearby town. I haven’t seen anyone following us recently so that’s a good sign at least.

_I hope we’ve put enough distance between those assholes._

**BANG**.

Chloe skids, losing control of the bike, “Hold on!”

The bike scrapes across the road, sparks flying into the air around us. Chloe and I are thrown off violently onto the road and roll across the tarmac, our bodies being bashed about. When we finally come to a stop Chloe rolls onto her back, trying to catch her breath, “Fuuuuuck,” she groans as she gingerly pokes her side, her face contorting in pain as she does so, “I’m gonna get a bruise there.”

Her face has a few cuts and scrapes on it, but she seems to have gotten off fairly lightly. I feel pain in about five, make that six different places, but I don’t think anything is broken.

_As bad as the pain is, it reminds you that you are alive. Feeling something is better than feeling nothing._

Sirens and flashing lights appear out of the mist, causing Chloe’s eyes to widen in fear, “Shit! We need to get off the street.”

We scramble to our feet and burst our way through a door to our right. We block it off with whatever we can find our hands on, anything to keep them from us. Chloe steps back, inspecting our barrier proudly and wiping her brow, “That should hold it for now.”

_Now what? We’re trapped here._

I look around for an escape route, Chloe joins me. We look for anything, loose brick, air vents… anything.

**_“Max, I can make the plane crash. That should wipe most of them out.”_ **

_Go for it._

Rachel floats up to the plane and takes control of the guy flying it. She makes him presses a few buttons and the plane comes plummeting down to earth, erupting in a ball of fire. A huge crashing sound pierces the air and the ground shakes. Chloe and I glance at one another. She tentatively puts her ear against the door, making sure the coast is clear. Bongo exits through a small window as a butterfly to confirm. Snarling and a whimper fills the air and Chloe suddenly collapses, blood runs down her shoulder and arm, staining her top.

“CHLOE!” I cry out as I run over to her. I try to call to her again, but she doesn’t respond. I shake her gently, but she doesn’t react. My mind whirs and it starts to become hard to breath. All I can see is the blood… so… so much blood. My throat closes up, tears stinging my eyes.

_Shit!_

**_“Max?”_** Rachel’s voice brings me out of my spiralling descent into panic.

_Freaking out is not going to help Chloe… not now._

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

_Rachel… go help Bongo._

**_“Gotcha, Super Max.”_ **

Rachel float away, passing through the wall to the outside, but I barely register her presence. All my attention is on Chloe. Nothing else matters. I rummage around in my bag, finally locating a slightly ripped t-shirt. I wrap it round my hand and apply pressure to her wound, desperately trying to stem the bleeding.

_Oh god. Please be ok. Please…_

Chloe stirs and immediately grits her teeth, “This hurts like a bitch,” she exhales sharply.

_If she is still making comments like that, then I guess she isn’t too badly hurt. I can’t even begin to describe how relieved I am right now._

“Chloe…” my voice threatens to break.

She turns to me, her eyes slightly out of focus, “Max…”

I kiss her, putting everything I feel in this moment into it, “Don’t do that again,” I mutter as I press my forehead against hers.

“Damn, Max…” she coughs and grimaces in pain, “Trust me, I won’t go looking for trouble.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Because you know me too well.”

Rachel pokes her head back through the wall, **_“Coast is all clear.”_**

Chloe lays there for a few moments, trying to catch her breath from the shock and then reaches out for me.

_She always used to do that when she was too lazy to get up herself. Once when I refused, she grabbed onto my waist and we both ended up in a pile on the floor. I wish this was one of those times…_

I help Chloe to her feet, she grunts in pain. The bleeding hasn’t stopped, but it’s slowed down considerably, “Come on girl wonder.”

Chloe leans against me, “Be gentle with me.”

I push aside our barricade with Rachel’s help and we go back outside, Chloe’s arm around my shoulder to keep her steady. Blood continues to trickle down her arm, dripping onto the floor.

_She likes to act tough, but there is only so much her body can handle. I hate it when she gets hurt. It makes me want to rip apart all these arseholes, everyone who has ever tried to hurt us._

Bongo has transformed back into a cat, blood staining his matted white fur. He lays on the ground looking very sorry for himself. Chloe hobbles over and picks him up, gritting her teeth as she moves her injured shoulder.

_She always has been stubborn and has to do everything herself._

Chloe shakes her head, suppressing a smile, “Why do I always have to carry you, huh?”

Bongo looks up at her appreciatively. Chloe leans back against me and we continue to walk through the carnage, “That was close.”

Someone grabs onto my ankle and I instinctively stamp on the hand, a howl of pain sounding into the night. I prop Chloe up against a nearby car and crouch down next to the guy writhing in pain on the floor. I grab my pursuer’s top and pull him up violently. I snarl at him, injecting as much venom into my voice as possible, “Tell them to leave us the fuck alone, because next time… we’ll kill everyone.”

I throw him back down on the floor, causing him to groan and go back over to Chloe, who wipes at Bongo’s fur, trying to remove the worst of the blood, “Someone needs a bath.”

Bongo squints at her, his eyes full of contempt. While he is distracted, Rachel teases out the bullet from his shoulder, causing both Chloe and Bongo to cry out in pain. Chloe rolls her shoulder.

“You ok?”

Chloe gently pokes at her shoulder, moving it around and grimaces, “I’ve been better.”

_Haven’t we all?_

“At least we’re alive.”

Chloe nods, her voice gentle and quiet, “Yep. There is that.”

She uses the car to hoist herself up. She holds out her injury free arm and I take hold of her hand as we walk through the destroyed street. Flames engulf the remains of the helicopter and the smell of burning flesh permeates the air. Chloe squeezes my hand reassuringly.

_Is she trying to reassure me… or herself?_

My eyes wander over the carnage and my heart drops in my chest.

_This could all have been avoided if they had just let us go. They will never let us go…_

* * *

**My Imaginary Friend (Age 8)**

**Caulfield House**

I kneel on the couch with my chin propped on my hand as I stare out of the window. A thick layer of white snow covers the ground. Small animal footprints are dotted around in it.

_I wanna go out and play with all the other kids… but mom said I can’t._

“Honey,” mom calls over to me from the kitchen, “you can’t spend the whole day looking out of the window. Why don’t you find something to do?”

I turn around and sit on the couch, flick through TV channels. They’re all boring, so I turn it off and go into the kitchen. The cookie jar on top of the fridge catches my attention. I walk over to mom and tug at her sleeve, “Can I have a cookie?”

Mom smiles down at me, “Not until after dinner, sweetie.”

_I really want a cookie…_

I swing my arms and glance over at Rachel.

_Rachel. Can you get me one?_

**_“Sure thing,”_** she grins as she floats up and snags me a cookie.

_Mom always says I have to have some “proper food” before cookies… but cookies taste nicer._

Mom turns to me and I quickly stuff the cookie in my mouth. She raises an eyebrow suspiciously, shaking her head with a small smile on her face, “You need to work on your spy skills, Maxine,” I stare at her innocently as she puts her hand on her hip, “Now, don’t give me that look you little rascal,” she turns back to the food, “Honey, can you get some oil from the store room? I’ve got my hands full here.”

_I don’t like it in there. It’s dark and the monsters like it there._

I slowly walk over to the door and run inside to grab the oil.

I race back to the door and try to open it, but it’s locked. I see them, the black shadows with pointy teeth and red eyes. I scream as they come closer and closer to me. The door bursts open and I launch myself at mom. She strokes my hair as I hold onto her tightly, “It’s ok, sweetie. I know it’s scary in there. I’ll get dad to change the lightbulb later.”

_Mom thinks I’m just afraid of the dark… but that’s not it._

She bends down and faces me, “Adults imagine things too, it’s ok.”

She gives me a kiss on the forehead and goes back to work. The front door opens and dad walks in. I run up to him and he twirls me around in the air, “How’s my little girl doing?”

I hug him tightly and he chuckles heartily, “My little girl is getting big and strong. Why don’t we go out the back and have a snow ball fight? Sound good?”

_Dad always plays with me._

“Yeah!”

I run over to the door excitedly as Mom calls over, “Don’t forget your coat!”

Dad helps me zip up my coat and we go outside to the back yard. He picks up some snow and throws it at me. I dodge it and throw some back, hitting him on the leg. He beams at me, “Nice shot, Maxine!”

We play for a minute or two, but then Dad’s phone rings. He takes it out of his pocket and sighs, “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Maxine.”

He walks back into the house, leaving me alone once more. I hear kids screaming in joy behind the fence separating the yard from the street.

**_“Max, let’s go play with them,”_** Rachel excitedly suggests.

There is a loose panel in the fence. With Rachel’s help, the panel comes off and I squeeze through it out onto the street. A boy sees me and motions for me to come over, “Hey, Max! Wanna play with us?! C’mon hurry up and hide, then! You’re gonna get creamed.”

I hide behind a car as one of the other kids runs out and I pelt him with a snow ball. I narrowly miss one that flies past my ear. I run around happily, throwing snowballs.

_For once, I can feel like a normal kid._

One of the kids comes up behind me and grabs me. He puts a snowball in my face and rubs it. I struggle against him, “No… No, let go of me… No! No... Stop!”

He doesn’t and it gets hard to breathe. Suddenly, the boy writhes on the floor, clutching at his neck. Rachel stands over him, strangling him.

_Rachel! Stop!_

She immediately lets go and the boy scrambles away, trying to catch his breath. He points at me accusingly as the other kids gather round, “Did you see that?! She nearly killed me!!! You saw what she did to me! She’s a witch! A dirty rotten witch!!!”

I back up, trying to get away from his words and I hit into something. A booming voice from behind me catches my attention, “What’s going on?”

I look up and see Dad. The boy points to me and shouts, “She’s a witch.”

Dad strides over to the boy, towering over him, “Go on now.”

He doesn’t move and just keeps insistently shouting, “I’m telling you! Max Caulfield is a witch!”

Dad raises his voice, “I said, go!”

_I have never heard dad so angry. He looks really scary._

The boy backs up and everyone runs off. Dad picks me up carefully and carries me back home, “It’s ok, baby girl. It’s ok. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

I nuzzle into his neck, tears splash down my cheeks as Rachel follows behind with a sad expression on her face.

_Rachel was only trying to protect me…_

* * *

Mom tucks me into bed, “Sweet dreams, honey. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

She kisses my forehead and goes to walk out of the room, but I call out for her, “Mom?”

She turns back to me, “Yes, sweetie?”

“Can I have the light on?”

She smiles at me sadly, “Of course,” she comes over and switches it on.

“I’m afraid of the monsters.”

Mom sighs, “Maxine, monsters don’t exist. You’re fine. I promise. Get some rest. Ok?”

She exits the room and I begin to toss and turn, but I can’t get comfortable. Rachel looks as scared as I feel, “There’s no need to be scared, Rachel… we’re going to sleep and the monsters won’t get us.”

**_“I’m here with you.”_ **

I reach over and hug captain, my bear. I squeeze him tight and am suddenly dragged out of bed by my feet. I scream loudly. The monsters have me. Rachel tries to keep them away, but there are too many. I huddle up in the corner and hug my knees, hoping they leave me alone. I hear footsteps race up the stairs and the door rattles. Dad bursts through with mom following soon after. They both come up to me and hug me.

“What happened, sweetheart?!”

“Maxine?”

I cling onto them, sobbing, “You told me monsters didn’t exist… but you were wrong, mommy… you were wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I shall see you next time.


	5. Homeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe find themselves on the run. Can they make it on their own?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. How’s it going today? I hope you’re liking the story so far. Here’s the next chapter.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Five: Homeless**

**Homeless (Age 22)**

**Streets**

Snow settles on the ground and blows in the bitterly cold wind. Blue and red flashing lights can be seen as a police car slowly descends down the street, making tire tracks in the snow. It skids slightly due to the ice. Frost covers every surface, icy veins covering the windows of the surrounding shops and buildings. Chloe and I are sat in an abandoned doorway, huddled close together and sheltered from the worst of the cold. Bongo is curled up in Chloe’s coat. I have my head on Chloe’s shoulder and she rests her head against mine as I hold onto her hand tight.

“This sucks, huh?” my teeth chatter and my body shivers as we sit on the ground.

Chloe puts her arm around me, trying to share what little body heat she has left. Her skin is ice cold, “It could be worse. We could be trapped in that f-fucked up place, slowly loosing ourselves.”

_Anything is better than that. Still…_

I shuffle closer to her if that is possible. Any closer and I would be sitting on her, “Yeah, but s-sometimes I think it’s worth going back just for the hot meals and c-comfortable beds.”

Chloe sighs, her breath visible, spiralling, swirling, twisting, mingling with mine, “That is the one thing I d-do miss about that place.”

_I would consider it pretty if I wasn’t too cold to care._

Rachel walks, well kind of floats really, up to us and a warm gust of wind passes through us, warming my very core. Chloe’s eyebrows raise in shock at the unexpected heat.

Rachel puts a hand on her hip, giving us a toothy grin. **_“I wasn’t very well going to let you guys freeze to death now, was I? I’ve kind of gotten used to having you around.”_**

Chloe moves her fingers, trying to get the blood circulation flowing again, “What just happened? I can almost feel my fingers,” she turns to me, confusion and relief in her blue eyes. The dark circles under her eyes are more prominent than they have ever been.

I stretch out my legs, “Thank Rachel for that.”

Chloe looks at me incredulously, “Wait… she can do that?”

I nod, shaking to try and get the feeling back in my body instead of the numbness, “Yep.”

Chloe smiles grateful, “Well, Rachel… wherever you are, thanks for saving us from freezing our asses off,” she looks around and squints in Rachel’s direction, “I think you’re somewhere over there. I can kind of see a ghostly figure. It’s hard to tell with all the snow though.”

**_“You’re welcome, Priceless.”_ **

_Sometimes, Chloe can see her. They have even had a couple of brief conversation before. I guess her having a similar power to me helps._

I rub my hands together vigorously to generate more heat, “This heat won’t last for too long, but at least it’ll give us a chance to thaw out.”

Chloe stands up slowly, using the doorway to help her. She nearly falls over, but manages to steady herself. She stretches, her joints clicking loudly as she does so, “We should probably get a move on. It’s never good to stay in one place for too long.”

She reaches out her hand and helps me up with some difficulty. Neither of us have eaten or slept properly for a long time. You don’t realize how important these small things are until you’re in the position where they are in short supply. We stagger out of the doorway, like newly born lambs.

_I’m not even sure I have legs any more, I can’t feel them at all._

We walk huddled down the street, trudging our feet through the thick layer of snow that has settled on the and grip on tightly to one another as the icy wind biting at our skin.

_I have never been so cold in my life. I thought it was bad enough when the heating at the CIA broke. That was nothing compared to this. Now, it’s like sharp needles digging into my skin._

We struggle against the harsh numbing storm and I stumble slightly. It’s getting hard to continue forward. My feet drag in the snow, leaving a line now rather than footprints. The world around me starts to become blurry and unfocused. I shake my head, attempting to stay awake.

_I can’t stop now. Push through it._

My body becomes heavier and starts to disobey my instructions, “C-Ch-”

Chloe’s face goes in and out of focus and her voice sounds so distant, “What’s up, Max?”

I feel my control slowly fading and my body refuses to move. Instead, I feel myself beginning to fall. Before my body hits the pavement, Chloe catches me, “Max!” my body shakes as she tries to wake me, “Max! Please! Don’t do this to me! Fuck! Don’t you fucking take her away from me!” her voice is muffled as if we are submerged under water, distant and hard to decipher. Everything appears to move in slow motion as I lose consciousness.

_I am sinking… sinking into the depths… with no way out…_

* * *

Flames engulf me. A young woman with blonde hair in a bun looks up at me, desperation in her hazel eyes and her voice at breaking point, “Max! NO!”

I try to escape them but the more I try to evade them, the more they encircle me, getting closer and closer…

_No… don’t…_

* * *

My bleary eyes open abruptly as beads of sweet trickle down my face. Everything is blurry and my heart races at a million miles an hour. As the world slowly comes back into focus, I see the woman again, the one from my… dream?

She smiles at me warmly, “Hey. I was beginning to think you’d never wake up.”

I feel a warm pressure at my feet and glance down to see Bongo curled up.

She turns away from me, “Chloe, she’s awake.”

Bongo’s ears prick up and he purrs happily. I sit up on my elbows, but am immediately pushed down when Chloe launches herself at me, almost knocking us into Bongo, who is not too pleased by being jiggled around. Somehow, he manages to stay put though, “Max! You’re ok! Thank god.”

My head is still spinning a bit as Chloe wraps herself around me, kissing my nose, cheek, neck, anywhere she can reach. Her entire body is shaking and her voice wavers, “I thought I’d lost you. Don’t… don’t ever scare me like that again.”

I reach up and stroke her cheek, “Sorry.”

She nuzzles into my neck and lays beside me on the mattress on the floor. She wraps her arms and legs around me, pressing her body firmly against mine as if she’s worried that when she lets go, that I’ll disappear. Her warm tears splash down onto my skin as she buries her face in my neck.

_Chloe doesn’t like people seeing her cry._

“Chloe, look at me,” I plead. She raises her head slightly, tears falling down her cheeks. Her hold on me loosens a bit and I turn over to face her, diligently kissing her tears away. She closes her eyes and rests her forehead against mine, our noses touching, “I’m alive, with you,” I whisper.

She lets out a shuddery breath, “Yeah, you are,” she breathes as she wipes away the remainder of her tears.

The blonde girl reaches into her coat pocket and passes Chloe a semi-clean tissue. Chloe uses it to blow her nose, “Thanks. I don’t suppose you want it back.”

The girl chuckles, her tired hazel eyes lighting up, “Not particularly, no. I think I can manage without it.”

I turn back over, looking around where Chloe and I are laying.  

_What can I say? I’m just a big snoop._

A few boxes are sat behind the mattress. Parts of deconstructed cardboard boxes and wood surround the area, probably to keep out the cold as much as possible. A few thin blankets are sat in the corner of this section. In the middle of the entire space is a fire surrounded by a hollow metal barrel, a grate on top of it to protect it from the wind. There is also a cooler, a small radio and a couple of chairs, along with some other items I can’t really make out. There are other sections like the one I am in dotted around the edge. 

“Where are we?” I ask.

The blonde girl motions to the area, “You’re at my place. Welcome,” she walks closer to the fire near us and holds her hands over it to warm them, “It’s not much, but it’s better than being out there.”

_Definitely._

I go to get up, but Chloe grabs onto me, clutching tight and restricting me. I sigh, “Chloe…” she ignores me, gripping onto my coat with all her might, not saying a word.

_I guess I really did scare her._

The girl smiles at me, “I’m Kate. You’re Max, right?”

“Yes.”

Kate reaches over the fire. There are some tin cans placed on the grate. She grabs two and brings them over to us. “I made you guys some coffee. It’s strong and hot. I can’t promise that it’ll taste good though,” she places them on the floor beside the mattress. I manoeuvre myself so I can get the coffee, with some difficulty I might add. She looks over at me curiously, “How long have you guys been on the streets?”

I shift slightly, trying to get more comfortable in Chloe’s vice-like grip while trying not to spill scolding hot coffee all over us. I hold the steaming cup in my hands to warm them and the strong smell reaches my nose.

_It’s been so long since I had coffee…_

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe a few weeks.”

Kate takes a sip of her coffee, making a scrunched up face, “I really need to learn how to make coffee properly. I’m more of a tea person if I’m going to be honest,” she holds the cup in her hands, warming them. “I’ve been out here for about four years now. It doesn’t get any easier unfortunately,” she swirls the cup, the steam engulfing her, “You on the run?”

_She doesn’t seem like a threat. You can never be too sure though. Best to keep it vague._

“Kind of. We seem to have inadvertently made a few enemies who are not willing to let us just live in peace.”

Kate nods sympathetically, “Well, you two are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like.”

“Thanks.”

Kate offers me a small tired smile, “We’ve all got to look out for each other. That’s the only way we are going to get through this.”

_If only everyone thought that way._

She motions to the rest of the sheltered area, “Feel free to have a look around. What’s mine is yours. There are a few other people here too if you fancy a chat. I’m going to make dinner now. I’m sure you guys are hungry.”

At this point, my stomach growls violently. I blush at the noise and Kate chuckles as she turns to the fire and gets out a small pot. She searches around in some of the boxes, muttering to herself. I hear a light snoring from behind me and find out that Chloe has fallen asleep beside me.

_As much as I would love to just be able to stay here like this, I have to go explore. Plus, my arm is really numb now._

I try to escape, but fail miserably. Even in sleep she has a pretty strong grip.

_Great. Rach, little help?_

Rachel nods, **_“Gotcha.”_**

She gently moves Chloe and I wiggle out of her hold, thankfully not waking her up. I shake my arm to get the feeling back into it. When it has returned, I bend down and give Chloe a kiss on the forehead, gently brushing a few stray strands of her faded blue hair off her face. Her strawberry blonde roots are really pushing through now. Dyeing hair hasn’t exactly been a top priority recently.

I walk over to one of the other areas. Two women sit there in front of a small fire. One has blonde hair, the other auburn and looks to be pregnant. They smile at me as I walk over.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

The girl with auburn hair points at herself, “I’m Dana,” she jabs her thumb at the blonde girl, “This is Juliet.”

“I’m Max.”

Dana smiles at me, “Nice to meet you, Max,” she pats the space beside her.

I accept the invitation and sit down next to Dana, “So, what are you guys doing here? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

_Way to be overly nosy, Max._

Dana chuckles at my curiosity and shifts to a more comfortable position on the thin mattress, closing her eyes momentarily as she gathers her thoughts, “Well, basically some guy got me pregnant and ran off. Just another dead beat dad. My parents kicked me out when they found out and I ended up wandering the streets. I really thought I was done for, then Juliet stumbled on me and brought me here.”

Juliet holds on tight to Dana’s hand, causing her to smile. Juliet takes over at this point, “I was doing a section on everyday heroes for my company before it went bust. I met Kate and Victoria through it,” she points out another girl with short blonde hair, “They are heroes in this neighbourhood. They’ve helped so many people. One day, I come across Dana, a scared young pregnant teen with nowhere to go, so I bring her here. I did a couple of interviews with her and we got chatting. Anyway, the big bosses pulled the funding and suddenly I was in the same position. I tried to look for other work, but there was none to be had. Kate and Victoria thankfully took me in and now we’re both here.”

They glance at each other and beam. Juliet gives Dana’s hand a small kiss, then turns to me, “How about you?”

I glance over to where Chloe is sleeping. She hasn’t budged an inch since I managed to wriggle out of her grip, “Chloe and I…”

_How do I put this? I don’t like keeping things from people who seem trustworthy, but I don’t want to put them at any more risk than I absolutely have to._

I draw my legs to my chest, hugging them as balance my chin on my knees, staring out the small enclosed space we are currently residing in, “There are some people chasing us and they will pretty much stop at nothing to get us back.”

I briefly think over all the terrible things they have done to get us back, all the lives they’ve ruin and taken.

_Is it really worth it?_

They both look shocked at my admission, “Wow.”

_If you think that’s crazy…_

“Yeah. We’ve managed to keep away from them mostly. It’s been a few weeks now since I saw any visible sign of them chasing us… but you can never be too sure with these guys.”

Dana sighs, shaking her head tiredly, “I’m sorry to hear that. Well, you should be safe here.”

_Something tells me we will never be free of them for as long as we live… or they live as the case may be._

“Let’s hope so.”

I stand up, leaving them to it and walk over to the short blonde haired woman. She glares up at me from her worn magazine, her voice harsh and confrontational, “What do you want?”

I grab my arm with my hand awkwardly, “Uh…”

Kate walks over and sits beside her and lightly taps her nose, “Now Victoria, be friendly.”

Victoria sighs and gives Kate a small kiss then turns to me, running a hand through her short blonde hair, “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

I wave away her apology, “It’s fine.”

Victoria rubs her face with her hand then looks up at me, “You’re Max, right?”

“That’s me. What’s your story?”

She looks over cautiously at Kate, who reaches out and touches her cheek, offering her a small reassuring smile. Kate turns back to me, “You might need some backstory from me first,” Kate puts her hand on Victoria’s knee, closing her eyes and Victoria puts a hand over Kate’s, “When I was at school, I got drugged at a party and ended up making out with a bunch of random strangers. My family is very religious and my mom, auntie and church basically ended up ostracising me. Everyone at school made fun of me so... I ran away from it all, took the first bus out of Arcadia. I didn’t care where it went, anywhere was better than there.”

_It seems we all have our troubles._

Kate opens her hazel eyes and continues as Victoria gently rubs her hand, “Anyway, it got to a few weeks in and I didn’t think I could do it anymore. I stood on the edge of a bridge, ready to end my miserable existence. Then someone pulled me back and refused to let me go.”

Kate glances over at Victoria and squeezes her knee gently, “Your turn, dear.”

Victoria shakes her head and smiles, “Dear? You make us sound like an old married couple.”

Kate giggles, “We basically are.”

Victoria opens her mouth to protest then shuts it, “Good point,” she turns back to me, “I was running away from controlling parents. They tried to turn me into someone I didn’t want to be, so I just left. I wandered down the streets for days, not knowing where I was going. I came across that bridge and saw Kate standing there. I managed to talk her down and we ended up finding this place, built it up from nothing. We made it what it is now and always welcome anyone who needs sanctuary.”

_Aw, cute. Glad to see that even after all the shit they have been through, they still found some happiness and are trying to help others. It’s easy to grow bitter and cynical in this world._

Kate stands up and motions for me to follow her, “Max, could you give me a hand with something?”

I nod, “Sure.”

She grins at me and leads me down onto the main street, “So, we need money to get some more food. We’re running out. So, if you don’t mind sitting out in the cold for a bit, then it would be a big help.”

_Chloe will be a pain in the ass if there is no food when she wakes up. No-one should have to be subjected to her wrath._

“I can do it.”

Kate smiles at me as we walk out into the cold, both shivering. She finds a good spot and sits down, “I’ll sit here. If you go up a way down the street. Get the best coverage.”

_Hmm… I don’t think just sitting down is going to help much. What else are we supposed to do?_

As I wander down the street, rubbing my hands together to get warm again, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn ready to fight and see a guy leering at me, “You looking to make a few dollars, sweetheart? Maybe I could help you out.”

_Oh, I bet you could. This sounds sketchy as hell._

“No thanks.”

The guy shrugs, “If you change your mind, I’ll be here.”

_Ew. No way._

I walk away from the creep quickly and see guy sits on the side next to a guitar, blowing on his hands to warm them up. I amble up to him and point to the guitar, “Is that your guitar?”

He nods, “Just froze my fingers off trying to play it before. You wanna try?”

_That is actually a very good idea._

“Sure, if you’re ok with that.”

“Be my guest.”

I tune the guitar, perching myself on a couple of old tires the guy has collected and take a deep breath.

_Good thing I was obsessed with my guitar pretty much all my life. I practised so much. It was the only thing that I actually enjoyed doing, apart from taking photos. It’s been so long since I could just play and relax. Even though it’s freezing out here…_

A familiar tune fills the air as I strum and sing my heart out.  

**“Don’t you know that I’ll be around to guide you,**

**Through your weakest moments to leave them behind you.**

**Returning nightmares only shadows,**

**We’ll cast some light and you’ll be alright for now.”**

People walk past, some stop and listen for a while as they walk past. I hear the distant thud of coins hitting the bottom of the can, but I don’t pay much attention to it. I just let the music wash over me, fully immerse myself in it for the first time in months. I reach the end of the song soon enough and pass the guitar back to the guy, inspecting the money inside. It looks like a pretty good haul. I hand him half for letting me use the guitar and make my way back to Kate.

As I approach, she looks up at me, “How’s it going?”

She looks in her can and sighs, “About as well as I expected. You?”

I place the money I made into her hands. Her hazel eyes widen and her jaw drops as she stares at the notes and coins in front of her. I can’t help but feel a bit proud of myself for making this much on my first go and without having to engage in questionable activities too.

After a while, she looks up at me incredulously, “Max… where did you get this?”

I shrug and rub the back of my neck awkwardly, “A guy down the street had a guitar. I play a bit.”

Kate gets up and gives me a huge hug, her voice soft as she whispers, “You are amazing,” she breaks away, looking the happiest I have seen her to date and all but runs across the road to the store, “Stay right here. I’m going to get us some food,” she shouts back over her shoulder.

_At least she seemed excited. I can’t wait for some food. I hope she gets back soon because I am, as Chloe would put it, freezing my balls off._

As I stand there waiting patiently for her to return I can make out muffled voices over the other side of the road, “Hey gorgeous. What are doing out here on your lonesome?”

A “Please, leave me alone.”

_Wait… is that Kate?”_

“Oh, come one. We’re nice enough guys. Why don’t you come with us, have a chat?”

_Shit._

I stride over the road and find is a group of around four guys who have backed Kate into a corner.

_They picked on the wrong person to fuck with._

“Hey, why don’t you leave her alone?”

They turn to me smirking and leering, one has a camera. He points it towards me as one of the guys, who looks to be the big boss of the group, saunters up to me, “Lookie here, boys. Someone else wants to join in on the fun.”

He grabs my wrist and I immediately wrench out of his grasp and knee him in the balls. He groans and falls to the floor, writhing in pain. The others look pissed at the fact I dared attack their leader, one of them wields a baseball bat and points it in my direction, “Oh, now you’ve done it bitch.”

They walk up to me menacingly while I get ready to fight, holding up my hands in a defensive guard and widening my stance, shifting my weight from foot to foot.

_Always keep on the move._

The guy with the baseball bat swings it at me with immense force. I easily dodge out of the way and punch hard him in the nose, a loud crunching sound filling the air as my fist makes contact. He instantly recoils, gripping at his nose as the blood runs down his face and howls in pain. Another guy grabs me from behind, pining my hands to my side. I head butt him, causing his grip to loosen and then elbow him in the ribs, hearing another resounding crunch accompanied by a pained cry. I swivel round only to get smacked in the face. The guy with the bloody nose grabs me by the collar and pushes me against the wall. I shake my head, trying to get myself back round and ready to face my adversary. He applies pressure to my throat with his arm, pressing harder and harder, “Who the fuck do you think you-?”

The man’s body suddenly slumps to the floor, the pressure on my throat removed. Kate stands there over his collapsed body holding the baseball bat, panting lightly and shaking as she looks down at him. When she sees the blood dripping from his head, she drops the bat and her hazel eyes become distressed. The only person left standing is the guy with the camera. He is pinned to the spot with fear as I advance on him, cracking my knuckles and glaring at him, “You’d better pick up your buddies and get the fuck out of here if you don’t want to end up like them.”

The guy runs, leaving his “friends” groaning on the floor in pain, “So much for loyalty, huh?” I snort as I gingerly touch my face, my hand immediately recoiling as a stinging pain shoots across my cheek, “Damn it.”

Kate walks up to me and hugs me fiercely, “Thank you.”

I wrap my arms around her, “Hey, if it wasn’t for your awesome baseball skills, I’d probably be a pulverised mess on the floor.”

“I doubt that,” Kate dismisses, gathering up the food that had fallen out of the brown paper bag she’d been holding before, “You seemed to know what you were doing.”

We head on back to HQ, adrenaline still pumping through my veins. Something about situations like this… excited me in a way. The fine line between life and death, beating the odds and coming out on top… the violence. That is how people like Chloe and me were trained to be. We were supposed to… enjoy it and that thought scares me much more than anything in this world ever could.

“Where did you learn how to fight like that?” Kate asks as we struggle against the bitterly cold wind.

_I think I can trust her._

“You know I said we were on the run?” Kate nods as I steel myself to tell her, “Well, the people chasing us put a lot of time into making Chloe and I the perfect fighters… and killers. They aren’t so happy their… “investment” upped and ran off.”

She stares down at her feet, “Wow. That’s…”

_I don’t know what I would say if someone told me that either._

“Yeah.”

We finally make it back to the shelter, but before we head on in I can hear raised voices carried by the wind, “Why don’t you calm the fuck down and listen?”

“Fuck you!” a familiar voice growls.

We get closer and can finally see what’s going on. Chloe and Victoria look inches away from having a proper fight, both right in each other’s space, fists clenched and faces scrunched up in anger. Dana and Juliet sit there on the mattress looking on helplessly, trying to ignore them.

“What the hell is going on?!” I exclaim, causing both Chloe and Victoria to turn to me.

Chloe runs over to me and hugs me tight, almost lifting me off the floor, “Max. Where the fuck have you been?”

Victoria sighs in frustration, placing a hand on her hip, “If you had listened to me instead of acting like a complete bitch and flipping out on me, you would have known that she had gone out to help Kate get some money for food.”

Chloe turns back to Victoria and hisses, “I’m not the bitch here.”

Victoria’s face darkens and she goes to confront Chloe again, but Kate puts a quivering hand on her shoulder, “Please don’t fight. We’ve had enough of that already.”

Victoria looks down at Kate’s hand and her face softening considerably. She scoops Kate up into a hug, whispering reassuringly in her ear as Kate trembles and sobs quietly.

_Kate…_

Chloe touches my cheek gently bringing me out of my thoughts, her touch causing me to recoil from the shooting pain. She stares at my cheek, her face showing distress from having to see me hurt, “What happened to your face?”

_It really hurts._

Kate sniffles, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve to help suppress the torrent of tears, “That’s m-my fault.”

I shake my head, “No, if you hadn’t been there my brains would have been decorating the pavement. Some assholes jumped Kate. One of them got the better of me, but Kate gave him a good whack round the head with his own baseball bat.”

Chloe’s face crumples up in anger, her brow furrowed and her teeth gritted, “Where is that fucker?! I’ll rip his balls off and feed them to him!”

I touch her cheek to get her attention, “Look, can we just let it go. I’m too tired for this right now.”

She relaxes considerably and she gives me an apologetic look as she runs her fingers through her hair, “Yeah. Sorry.”

I peck her on the lips, “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re so worried, but I can look after myself.”

Chloe smirks at me, “You? Max, the same girl who got a black eye from tripping over thin air, who nearly choked to death on a gummi bear, who never ever looks before she crosses the road… can look after herself?”

I push her playfully, “Are you ever gonna let that go?”

“Nope.”

Chloe stares daggers at Victoria as she passes, but doesn’t hit her or anything.

_Progress is progress._

Kate walks over to the fire and finishes off the preparations for the food. We all sit down round the fire, waiting eagerly to eat.

_We are like some big dysfunctional family._

She rummages around and produces a couple of bars of chocolate much to the delight of all those present, “I even got chocolate for desert.”

Dana beams at Kate, “Are you serious? Damn, I really do love you Kate. I might have to steal her away from you, Victoria.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, “I’d like to see you try.”

Juliet smirks, “She can be pretty persuasive.”

Kate passes out the food and we all dig in ravenously. I have no idea what it is, but it’s delicious. Way better than anything I’ve had in a long time. All that can be heard for the next few minutes are the clatter of spoons and the occasional content sigh as we polish off every last scrap.

_I can already feel my strength returning._

Victoria turns to Kate, concern in her eyes as she places her hand on Kate’s leg, “Did they hurt you?”

Kate shakes her head and smiles at me, “No, Max didn’t let them. She jumped in like a super hero and saved me.”

Chloe smiles fondly and gently ruffles my hair, “That’s why I call her Super Max.”

Victoria turns to me, a weird expression on her face, “You saved her?”

I rub the back of my neck, looking down at my feet, “Well, I dunno if I’d go **_that_** far…”

_I hate being in the spotlight._

Kate giggles, “Max, stop being so modest.”

Victoria closes her eyes for a moment, deep in thought. When she opens them again, she offers me a small genuine smile, “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without Kate.”

I’m taken aback at first, but then smile back, “No problem. She did save me too,” as we finish up eating I turn to Dana, “When’s your baby due?”

She pats her stomach, “Next month,” her face suddenly drops as she stares down at the bump, “She hasn’t been kicking for months… I hope...”

Juliet takes her hand and squeezes it reassuringly, “I know she will be fine.”

_Maybe…_

I place my now empty plate on the floor at my feet, “There’s a way you can find out…”

Dana furrows her brow in understandable confusion, “How?”

I get up and crouch down in front of her, holding out my hands, “Give me your hands.”

She puts her food to the side and takes my hands without questioning.

_Rachel…_

**_“Got it, Max.”_ **

Rachel illuminates the baby for me to check. It looks completely fine with a steady heart beat and just being healthy in general. I glance up at Dana, “Don’t worry about your baby. Everything’s all right. I promise.”

She raises an eyebrow in surprise, an expected reaction for what just happened, “How do you know?”

I squeeze her hands, staring at her confidently, “I know. I saw her.”

Dana looks puzzled for a moment, then smiles at me gratefully, “Thank you, Max,” she goes to stand up, but falls back down, crashing to the floor.

Juliet jumps up quicker than I have ever seen anyone move as she races to Dana’s side, “What’s wrong?”

Dana’s face contorts into one of pain, “I think…” she groans, breathing heavily.

Juliet exhales sharply, “Holy shit. The baby…”

She and Chloe take hold of Dana and lay her down on a mattress, “We… we need an ambulance! A hospital!”

Dana breathes heavily, “No… no hospital. They’ll take her away…” she places a hand on her stomach. Juliet holds Dana’s hand and carefully moves her hair out of her eyes.

_They would. No matter how good a parent Dana would be, all they would see is that she is homeless._

Kate grabs my arm, “Max, we need to go get some things. The store across the road has everything we need. There is an old abandoned building down the street. If we could get into it….”

Chloe runs off towards the exit and shouts back, “I got you covered.”

Kate turns to Juliet, “Juliet, keep an eye on her.”

She nods, “Will do. You can count on me.”

Kate tugs at my sleeve, “Come on, Max.”

We run out of the sheltered area and across the road to the store. When we get there it’s closed, the metal shutters blocking any hope of entering. Kate mutters to herself, rubbing her face with her hand, “No. It’s locked. What are we going to do?”

_Rachel, little help?_

**_“I’m on it.”_ **

Rachel passes through, disables the cameras and alarms, finally opening the shutter with a juddery creak. I grab Kate’s wrist and pull her inside as she stutters, “How… who… I…”

I scan the area, desperately searching for the supplies we need. Eventually, my eyes fall on the right aisles and I race over to the nearest on, “I’ll explain later, we have to move.”

We grab all the supplies and race out of the store to find Chloe waiting for us, “You get everything?”

“Yeah.”

The three of us sprint down the street to an old abandoned building and climb through a broken first floor window to get in. We race up the stairs two at a time and burst into the room where Dana lay on a mattress, huffing, panting and sweating.

Juliet shifts her gaze nervously to us as she holds on tight to Dana’s hand, “Max, can you do this? I might throw up.”

“Sure,” I agree as I make my way down to the other end of the mattress and help her out of her pants. Chloe crouches down with me, ready to give any help I might need. Having her here makes it easier to stay calm. Kate kneels near Dana’s head, wiping the sweat from her brow and whispering reassurances to keep her as calm as possible. Victoria stands near the window to keep a look out for any possible threats. I place a blanket under Dana to keep her comfortable and switch on the mini heater we got from the store to maintain a good temperature, “Ok, breathe. In and out. Nice and steady.”

Dana’s face contorts in pain, “I am….”

Juliet laughs a little, “Still a smartass even when in pain.”

Dana bites her lip hard, breathing heavily, “I’d… I’d like to see you try.”

_Ok, Max. How hard can this be? I have very limited knowledge on this kind of thing, other than what I’ve watched in shows… how different can it be?_

I feel something brush against my hand and look over to see Chloe giving me a supportive smile.

_With her here, I can do anything._

I take a deep breath and turn back to Dana, “Ok, push!” Dana grasps at Juliet’s hand, breathing heavily and groaning. After what seems like an eternity, I start to see the baby, “Nearly there, keep going! You’re doing great. I can see her.”

I gently help ease the baby out and sit there stunned for a moment, looking down at this tiny human being I helped bring into the world. I have taken so many lives out of it, it’s nice to be able to finally give one back.  

_We did it. We actually did it._

Chloe grins as she stares at the baby, “Hella nice, Dana. You did it, girl!”

Dana exhales deeply, looking so exhausted and gives us a weak thumbs up.

I glance down at the scissors on the table in the corner, “Chloe, hand me those scissors.”

She reaches over and passes them to me. I use them to cut the cord and wrap one of the many blankets around the baby to keep it warm. I walk around to the top of the mattress and carefully hand the baby to Dana. She takes the baby from me and stares at her for a while, then looks up and beams at Juliet. Juliet takes over from Kate and wipes the sweat off of Dana’s brow with a cloth, smiling just as much as Dana is, “You did good, girl. She looks beautiful…” she whispers as she gives Dana’s cheek a kiss, “…just like her mom.”

Dana chuckles, “Oh yeah, because I totally look beautiful dripping in sweat.”

Juliet strokes her cheek, looking on lovingly at Dana, “To me you do.”

Dana holds the baby closer to Juliet, “Want to hold her?”

Juliet’s eyebrows raise questioningly, “Me?”

Dana shakes her head, smiling, “Yes you. Who else?” Juliet looks a bit apprehensive, but hesitantly takes the baby from Dana. The baby waves her arms at Juliet and Dana smiles, “See, she likes you.”

Juliet gently takes hold of the baby’s hand. She grips on tightly to Juliet’s thumb, squeezing it lightly. Juliet looks as if she is about to cry, “I hope so, because I think I have just fallen in love all over again,” she leans in close to the baby, “Hey, there baby girl. You may not have had the best start in life, but I sure as hell will do everything in my power to give you a fighting chance.”

Dana lays back, completely exhausted but content, “I think I’ll call her Zoey.”

Juliet nods in agreement, “Zoey.”

* * *

My eyes flicker open and I shuffle on the hard wooden floor to get comfortable again. At least it’s better than being cold. Chloe lays next to me, her arm draped over my waist as she snores. When we were in the CIA building, she used to drive me nuts with it and I had to get ear buds.

_I really need to pee._

I disengage myself from Chloe gently, trying so hard not to wake her. I eventually manage to worm my way out and sit up, rubbing at my eyes and yawning. When I realize my surroundings, I scramble back and look on in horror at the flames engulfing the room before me, “Holy shit!”

I shake Chloe to get her awake. She groans and turns over in her sleep, putting her hand over her face and mutters, “Five more minutes…”

I shake her more violently, “Chloe! Get up, NOW!”

Her eyes open suddenly and she yawns, “Jeez, Max. No need to shout.”

“This place is on fire.”

Chloe’s eyes widen in shock at my words, “What?!” she sits up and stares in disbelief for a minute at the flames that threaten to engulf us, “Fuck! Where are the others?”

She grabs Bongo and we jump up from the floor, bursting through the door. We run to the room next door where Kate and Victoria are sleeping and shake them awake. Victoria opens her bleary eyes, “What the…?”

“Fire. No time to explain. We need to get out of here!”

They both get up quickly and look around frantically at the orange flames lapping at the building’s structure.

“Where are Juliet, Dana and Zoey?” I ask, fear gripping my heart.

Chloe motions to Bongo, “Bongo, find them,” he turns into a butterfly and flutters off. A few seconds later, he reappears and lands on Chloe’s shoulder, “They are trapped. The door blocked off, we have to get in through the window,” she explains.

She goes to race off out of the room, but I stop her by grabbing her arm, “Go get Victoria and Kate outside. I’ll go get Dana and Juliet.”

Her brow furrows, “But…”

My eyes beg her to go, “Please…”

Chloe looks as if she is about to protest, but then sighs and takes a step closer to me, “Ok, but if you… die on me, I’ll be hella pissed. I will drag your ghost ass back from the dead to kill you myself.”

I place my hand tenderly on her cheek and she closes her eyes, leaning into my touch, “I won’t. Promise.”

_We can’t live without each other. Everyone else has either fucked us over or died… I have no plans on dying at all._

She gives me a quick kiss then leads Victoria and Kate out of the room, peering back at me as she goes. Her azure blue eyes glisten with tears as she reluctantly leaves me. I have to get out of this, for her sake and mine.

I climb out of the window in this room and shimmy along the thin sill to the room where the others are stuck. Rachel smashes the window open and I jump in. Juliet, Dana and Zoey are trapped by fire on the other side of the room. When they see me, they shout and wave, “Max!”

_Rachel!_

Rachel puts a barrier around me, protecting me from the flames. I make my way over to them, Dana and Juliet looking understandably confused about what is going on. I draw them closer to me when I reach them, “We have to move, now,” Rachel protects all of us as we walk through the flames and breaks through a weak point in the wall so we can get through to the stairs. I motion down the stairs for the others to go first, “Go!”

Juliet and Dana, who is still holding Zoey, squeeze through the gap in the wall and run down the stairs. As I’m about to follow them the stairs collapse and I jump back as orange flames lick the air.

_Damn, that was close. We almost had a crispy Max there._

They look up a me worriedly through the flames, “Max!”

I shout down to them, “Keep going! I’ll find a way round!”

They nod and reluctantly proceed outside.

_Ok, Max. Think._

I run away from the flames, up the stairs to the next floor and enter a room to the right, dodging rubble and flames as I go. The thick smoke causes me to cough violently as I breath it in. I scan the room to find a way out and see an opening in the wall overlooking an alleyway next to the main street. I walk over to it and peer down to see the others all standing below.

_It’s too high to jump, but I can’t go back._

“MAX!” Dana shouts up as she holds onto Juliet.

Chloe looks up at me worriedly, but nods. She knows what I’m about to do unlike the others.

_Save me, Rachel._

I take a run up and jump, causing the others gasp in shock.

Kate screams, “MAX! NO!”

Rachel forms a barrier around me, guiding me safely down to the floor gently. Chloe sighs in relief while the others stare on at the spectacle they just witnessed, completely confused and astounded as their jaws drop open. The next few seconds pass in slow motion as Chloe runs over to me. I try to meet her, but my body refuses to obey my command. My legs feel like jelly and buckle underneath me, no longer able to bear the weight. My body slowly begins to fall to the floor. I see Chloe’s eyes grow wide in distress, her mouth moving, but I can’t hear what she is saying. I collapse to the snow covered floor with a thud and everything goes dark.

* * *

Everything is murky and fuzzy… a bright light suddenly pierces my vision. Faces go in and out of focus, old memories… whispers…

**_“Max…”_ **

I look around to try and place the ghostly whispers and find Rachel standing there in front of me, her hand outstretched to me, **_“Max… it’s not time yet… we still have things to live for.”_**

* * *

I sit up abruptly, tears streaming from my eyes and sweat dripping from my brow. A white room slowly begins to come into focus and an antiseptic smell fills the air. I glance down at my arm to find an IV attached to it and a steady electronic beeping penetrates the air. I go to run my hand through my hair, but find out it’s not there. My heart stops as I bring my other hand up to my head, feeling around for something that is no longer there, “What the fuck?” my voice is choked as a result of my extremely dry throat.

“Max?” a tentative voice calls out to me from the right. I turn and see Chloe sat on a chair near the bed. She doesn’t look like she’s slept properly in over a month, to be fair she hasn’t. Her hopeless dull blue eyes begin to light as she sees I’m awake.

“Chloe… where am I?”

She smiles brightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She rubs her face with her hand and breathes, “You really had me worried, yet again. You’re making a habit of it,” she swallows hard and looks back at me, “You’re in hospital,” she gets up from her chair, “Move up a bit will you.”

I shuffle over and Chloe squeezes herself in beside me in the bed. She looks exhausted, but at least she’s alive. She reaches out and gently touches my cheek with her hand, “Chloe… where is my hair?”

She chuckles, “They had to give you a buzz cut. You hit your head pretty hard when you fell. Had to stich you up. There was blood everywhere…” she closes her eyes, exhaling deeply at the memory. When she opens her blue eyes again she grins, “You look cute like this though.”

I roll my eyes at her, “Well, that’s the most important thing.”

Chloe leans in and kisses me tenderly, “You really are intent on me having a heart attack, huh?”

_Sorry, Chloe. I keep getting hurt and making you worry._

“Sorry…”

Chloe shrugs at my apology then gazes at me intently. My fingers trace the scar on the back of my head and she offers me her infamous charming lop-sided grin, “Scars are hot.”

_Of course Chloe would say something like that._

“Glad you think so.”

“I do,” she whispers as her fingers gently run over my shaved head, her touch light yet very noticeable. When she reaches the scar, she traces it gently so as not to hurt me.

_We’ve been through so much already… how much more can we take?_

Her expression turns serious, her voice low and emotionally drained, “Max, we can’t stay here long. They will be here soon. I know you probably feel like shit, but…”

I nod which kind of makes my head hurt, “I get it.”

Chloe sighs lightly, “I told Kate and the others already. They were sad to know we can’t stay, but they got it. They said that if we ever needed somewhere to go, they would be more than happy to accommodate us. Got to admit I’ll miss them.”

I stare at her in mild amusement, “Even Victoria?”

She laughs tiredly, “Maybe a little bit. She’s actually not the worst we’ve had to deal with. I don’t know how that makes me feel to know that though.”

_It would be nice just to go to the middle of nowhere and live in peace… maybe one day…_

Chloe shifts herself to the edge of the bed and sits up, “Maybe when all this shit is over, we can find them again.”

“I’d like that,” I say as I take the IV out of my arm, the machine I am connected to making weird noises as a result.

Chloe helps me get changed and we grab our gear tucked underneath the bed. She opens the window and takes a deep breath when she peers out over the streets below, then she turns to me, “Ready?”

I take hold of her hand and squeeze it, “Always.”

We both step off the ledge, Rachel guiding us down to the bottom of the tall building to the ground and we make our escape.

_We are never going back…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a great day guys and I’ll see you next time. Thanks for reading.


	6. Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max has to deal with a lot of confusing situations, how will she handle them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here is the next chapter for you.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Six: Answer**

**First Night (Age 8)**

**Max’s Room**

Ray leads me into a really empty room. It doesn’t have any stuff in it. I look up at him, “Where’s mommy and daddy?”

He gives me a small tired smile, “Don’t worry, Max. They will visit soon. We had a chat with them and they came to the same conclusion we did. That it is safer for you and everyone else if you stay here for a while.”

_Why am I here?_

“But I don’t wanna stay here. I wanna go home,” I mumble.

Ray bends down to face me, placing a hand on my shoulder, “Max, I know it’s scary, but this is for the best. Now, you will have everything you could ever want or need here. If there is anything missing, just say.”

With that, he leaves. As he does, Samuel enters the room and gives me a sad smile. I sit down on the floor, hugging my knees.

_I want mom and dad._

“Samuel, I don’t get it,” I sniffle and rub my eyes with my sleeve, “Where are mom and dad? They said we’d always be together, no matter what.”

He hobbles over to a small couch, slowly sitting down and pats the space beside him, “Come here, young Max.”

I go over and sit next to him. He looks at me sadly, his voice gentle, “Max, Samuel isn’t sure what these people have planned for you. Samuel only knows that you have a chance. They don’t know what they are giving you and they will regret it one day. Samuel feels it in his bones, they will too… eventually.”

_Samuel doesn’t make a lot of sense._

I look up at him, “I don’t get it.”

Samuel sighs and puts a comforting arm around my shoulder and I lean into him, clutching onto his top.

_It does make me feel a bit better. Samuel was kind of scary at first, but he’s cool. Everyone around here either pretends to care or doesn’t bother to look at me…  apart from Samuel. He always smiles a lot when he’s with me and I can tell it’s not fake. His eyes show it. He’s the only real friend I have around here._

Rachel pouts and crosses her arms, **_“Hey, I resent that remark.”_**

_Apart from you, Rachel. That goes without saying._

“Samuel can only tell you to be strong and remember that Rachel is here to help. Others will come... in time.”

**_“Yes, Max. I’m always here with you.”_ **

_I trust Samuel._

His serious expression fades replaced by a serene smile, “Samuel will be feeding the squirrels later. You should come too. They like it when you’re there.”

_I like squirrels._

I nod enthusiastically, “Yeah.”

He gently ruffles my hair, “Samuel will come find you. Now, Samuel has to go and paint windows,” he untangles himself from me and gets up. He makes his way over to the door, pausing and looking over his shoulder at me before he leaves, “Keep at it, Max. Samuel is always here.”

He leaves and I’m left alone with Rachel. I grab my pyjamas out of my suitcase and look around the empty room.

_Right… find somewhere to change…_

I walk through the empty room to the bedroom and open a door that leads into a small bathroom.

_I hope they haven’t put cameras in here too…_

**_“I checked. They haven’t,”_** Rachel reassures me.

_Thanks._

I get changed and walk back out into the bedroom then get into bed, “Captain! Where’s my bear?!” I run back over to the small suitcase and grab Captain along with my flashlight. I race back over to the bed and get settled, hugging captain and pulling the covers up to my chin.

A voice comes through the speaker on the wall, “Night Max, I’m going to turn the light off now.”

_No, that’s when the monsters come._

I shoot upwards, “Can you leave the light on in the hall? I don’t like it when it’s dark.”

“Sure.”

I lay back down and stare up at the ceiling, tossing and turning to get comfortable, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. We’re gonna have a good night’s sleep and nothing is gonna happen…” the bed is hard and lumpy against my back, “I can’t sleep, Rachel. I think I need a story…”

The flashlight beside my bed flickers on, casting light onto the ceiling. Shadow animals appear and my eyes start to close…

* * *

The lights flicker in the other room as I’m suddenly thrown into the air. dragged across the room. I scream as loud as I can.

**_“Hold on, Max!”_ **

Rachel fends the monsters off. While they are distracted I try to get away, but they don’t stop, “Rachel! Get help!”

She goes off in search of help and I try to get free off the monsters, but they keep coming. They won’t leave me alone so I hide under a small table, hoping they will go. Rachel finally comes back in and fends them off. They throw the table in the air and I run behind the couch to hide. The couch is thrown violently into the air, almost hitting me on the way down. Suddenly, the door bursts open and the lights turn on as Ray and Samuel enter the room. Samuel bends down and puts an arm protectively around me and I hug him tightly.

“Max!” Ray shouts as he turns to run out of the room, “I’ll go get a doctor. Look after her, Samuel.”

Samuel holds me, shaking slightly too, “It’s ok to be scared, Max. Samuel can see them too.”

I look up at him, tears in my eyes, “Are you scared of them?”

He nods, “Yes, Max. Samuel is very scared of them. They can do terrible things, but they aren’t the real thing we should be scared of.”

I move closer to him, rubbing at my eyes, “What do you mean?”

Samuel holds me closer. He smells like outdoors and paint, “The real monsters are here, not there. They look friendly, they pretend to care, but then… then they hurt you. The hurt is always worse,” he grips onto me almost as tightly as I’m holding onto him, “Don’t let them hurt you, Max.”

* * *

**Like Other Girls (Age 16)**

“Please,” I beg.

Ray sighs and runs a hand over his bald head, “Look, we’ve been over this. It’s too dangerous. Remember what happened last time. I don’t know why Mark suggested it in the first place…”

_I’ve been trying for weeks to get him to let me go to a party. I was hoping to wear him down eventually. For once, I just want to act like a normal sixteen year old girl. I know I’m just kidding myself, but I have to have some time to enjoy myself and forget who I am._

Suddenly, an idea comes to mind.

_Maybe I can get something I really want if I don’t go._

“Fine, I’ll drop the party…”

He looks relieved that I’ve given up… or so her thinks.

_Don’t rejoice too soon._

“…if Chloe can come here.”

He strokes his chin in thought, then sighs resignedly, “You do drive a hard bargain. Let me make a few calls, ok?”

_Obviously my weeks of grinding him down have paid off. Anything for an easy life I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Chloe. She’s been getting ready to transfer over to the CIA programme. She’s a year older than me, so she’ll be going real soon. I probably won’t get to see a lot of her initially, so I need to spend as much time with her now as possible. I can’t wait for when I go there. Then we can see each other every day, no more having to wait three weeks minimum for it to get the a-ok from the top dogs… or sneaking out._

My heart rate picks up in excitement and I beam at him, “Yeah, just don’t take too long.”

* * *

**_“So, Chloe’s coming over, huh?”_** Rachel sits beside me on my bed with a smug grin on her face.

I glance over my shoulder at her, “Yeah. What of it?”

She absentmindedly inspects her nails, **_“No reason really… you seem excited.”_**

“Because I am. She’s my best friend and I haven’t seen her in forever.”

Rachel gives me a knowing look, **_“I think it might be a little bit more than that.”_**

“What… what do you mean?” I stutter.

She lets out a small laugh, **_“Deny it if you will, but I’ve seen what goes on in your head, Caulfield.”_**

Before I have a chance to protest there is a knock at the door, a loud, impatient, unapologetic knock that can only belong to one person. I all but run over to the door and yank it open to see Chloe stood there. When she sees me, she throws her arms out, ready for a bone-crushing hug, “Hey, super Max!” she embraces me, Bongo rubbing up against my leg.

_Every time I see her she’s grown. I think I’ve stopped, but she just never does. I can’t wait for more teasing about my height… not. It was bad enough when there wasn’t even an inch difference._

We break apart and I take the opportunity to really examine her. It’s only been a few months since I last saw her, but she’s changed so much. Her hair is shorter than before and… “Chloe, your hair...”

She holds a strand of her once strawberry blonde hair in her fingers, “You like it?” she grins at me as my eyes fall on the now vibrant blue strand.

_It looks so cool. If I did something like this, they would freak out._

I take a strand between my fingers and inspect it closer, staring at it in disbelief, “How the hell did you get them to let you do that?”

She shrugs, “I didn’t give them a choice. David chased after me with a tube of blonde hair dye for half an hour. He gave up eventually, but I think he might try when I’m asleep one day.”

_David… she has never mentioned him before._

“Who’s David?”

Chloe walks into my room and flops down onto the bed, “The guy who is going to be training me at the CIA. They wanted us to have some ‘bonding time’,” she uses air quotation marks, “That guy is so strict, but he’s hella good, I’ll give him that. I wouldn’t want to mess with him,” she sits up abruptly and fumbles around in one of the pockets of her cargo pants and produces a small object, showing it to me excitedly, “Max, they let me have a phone now,” she reaches into her other pocket and passes it to me, “They gave me one to give to you too. They already checked on ahead with your lot.”

I take the phone from her and examine it, tapping a button which makes the screen light up.

_Look at that._

She fiddles around with her phone, “It only lets you have certain pre-approved numbers. Apparently, if you try to put a random number in there the phone will self-destruct,” I raise an eyebrow questioningly and Chloe chuckles, “Ok, it doesn’t explode… although that would be hella cool.

_Chloe does love trouble._  

“Anyway, you and I can call and text each other, which is fucking awesome, right? They are going to be monitored, but it’s something… as long as you don’t send any embarrassing nudes or anything,” she grins at me mischievously.

_Of course that is the first thing Chloe would say._

I roll my eyes at her statement, “Yeah, like I would do that.”

A flicker of disappointment crosses her eyes and her smile falters as she stares down at her phone.

_Huh?_

**_“Damn Max, Chloe’s really into you.”_ **

I ignore Rachel’s comment.

_She always tries to rile me up. Maybe she’s bored, maybe she just likes watching me squirm…_

Rachel sighs in exasperation, **_“Or maybe I’m just not as oblivious to love as you.”_**

_Oh come on. Chloe always jokes about that kind of thing. She doesn’t mean it._

Rachel looks at me, an unimpressed expression on her face, **_“Uh-huh. You keep telling yourself that.”_**

Chloe puts her phone back in her pocket, “Anyway, if you want to chat or meet up, just drop me a text or call me. I’ll do the same for you. Sound good?”

I nod and smile, “It does.”

_It’s been hard getting to meet up with her. We’re from different programmes, so there isn’t often a chance when we are both free from training and tests. When we do meet up… it’s the best thing ever. Our meetings are the only thing that get me through each day._

She leans back on her arms, “I might not always be able to meet up, but whenever I can I’ll sneak away.”

_Chloe is good at sneaking out. I’m surprised she hasn’t been punished more to be honest._

She reaches down to a plastic bag she brought with her and takes out a can, “I managed to sneak some booze up in here.”

_She never ceases to amaze me._

“How did you manage that?” I question curiously.

She winks at me, “The world works in mysterious ways.”

_Chloe has always been good at persuading people to do what she wanted and smuggling things in. I don’t know if I should be amazed or scared._

She inspects the can with curiosity, “You had any before?”

I shake my head and sit down with her, Bongo immediately jumping up on my lap and curling up, “No.”

She glances up at me, “Me neither. It’ll be fun,” she opens the beer, “Bottoms up,” she brings the can up to her lips and takes a long swig, her face contorting in disgust as she examines the can again, “Huh.”

_I have to admit, I am curious. We aren’t allowed to take anything that would ‘impair our abilities’, alcohol being on the list. A little bit wouldn’t hurt…_

I shuffle closer to her, “How was it?”

Chloe reaches for a half full glass of water on the table beside my bed and sips it then turns to me, “Kind of tastes like piss if I’m going to be honest. That’s what I get for buying the cheap stuff,” she regards the can with disbelief, “Do people seriously like this shit?” she shakes her head and passes it to me.

_A bit won’t hurt…_

I take it from her and take a sip, immediately coughing and spluttering, almost catapulting poor Bongo off my lap.

Chloe pats me on the back, trying to ease my coughing, “Whoa, Max. Chill. No need to choke over it.”

Rachel giggles, **_“Nice going, Max.”_**

_Why did I think that was a good idea? I should have listened to Chloe when she said it tasted like piss._

I place the can on my bedside table, wiping at my eyes, “I don’t think I’ll be having that again.”

Chloe takes it and tips it out into the sink then strolls over to the window, opens it and throws the can as far as she can out it.

_It’s not like I can put it in my bin. Someone will notice, then I will get into serious trouble. Most importantly, they probably won’t let me see Chloe._

Satisfied, she sits back down on the bed beside me, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have been such a cheap skate.”

_I’m not even sure if more expensive stuff would have been nice anyway. I don’t think I’m going to be a great lover of alcohol._

I shrug, “It’s ok. The party I was trying to go to wouldn’t have had much better alcohol.”

Chloe’s smile fades a bit, replaced by a look of uncertainty and surprise, “Wait… you… you were gonna go to a party, but instead you invited me here?”

_To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it anyway. I think my last party was enough for a lifetime. Besides… I really like spending time with Chloe. She’s the only person who really understands and cares._

Rachel sighs, **_“Max, you’re so gay for Chloe. Why can’t you just admit it? You scared? Woman up and give it a shot.”_**

_Nothing has happened between us since that party when I was thirteen. She probably isn’t interested and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. Spending time with her is enough._

I continue to ignore Rachel, who sighs in frustration as I shift to a more comfortable position on my bed to face Chloe, “I was trying to convince them. I could have snuck out and gone I guess, but I’d rather spend time with you to be honest.”

Her eyes flicker with hesitation.

_Chloe is renowned for her bravado, but deep down… it’s all just an act._

Her voice is much more cautious than usually, “Really? I’d… have thought you’d have wanted to go. You know, get some action. With a guy…” she pauses and tentatively continues, “…or girl or whatever.”

Rachel smirks smugly at me, **_“Girl, huh?”_**

I focus all my attention on Chloe, “A-action?”

She shrugs and looks down at the bed as she begins playing with the black and white bands on her wrist, gently pulling them back and letting them go. Each time, they ping back against her skin. Once she has exhausted this form of prolonging her time, she twists the ring on her right hand.

_This wait is killing me._  

Bongo shifts on my lap and she finally looks up at me, her blue eyes downcast, “Yeah. I mean… there’s loads of people out there. Might find yourself someone to have some fun with, you know?” she crosses her legs on the bed and props her elbow on her knee, leaning her head on her hand. She traces the patterns on my bed with her other hand, her index finger following each line diligently as she completely avoids my eyes, “It’s not like we get too much here.”

_I thought… I thought Chloe would be happy I stayed. Does that mean…? Has she done that? I know we aren’t… I don’t know what we are._

She is systematically ripping my heart from my chest and tearing it to little pieces with every word she utters.

_The thought of Chloe with someone else, smiling with them, laughing with them, kissing them, touching them…_

My hand clenches the bed sheets tight and my knuckles turn white from the immense pressure I exert. My nails dig into my skin with a sharp pain, but nothing compared to the one she is causing right now with her words. My voice wavers, threatening to break, “Is that what you’ve done?”

Chloe raises one of her strawberry blonde eyebrows in confusion, “What?”

I feel the tears sting my eyes. They threaten to fall, but I can’t let them, “Have… have you got with anyone at… at a party?”

_Goddamn it, Max. Grow up. Why would Chloe want you?_

**_“Max…”_** Rachel hesitantly calls out, her teasing tone long since gone.

Chloe shakes her head and rubs the back of her neck, looking back down at the bed, “No. I just… thought you might want to. It’s not often we get a chance to just be teenagers. That’s all part of it, right?” she looks so uncertain of herself as if she is treading on a minefield, never knowing where the safe spots are.

Anger pulsates through my veins and I slowly lose myself to it, “What the fuck, Chloe?”

Chloe looks like a kicked puppy, her head hanging down and she refuses to look at me, her voice quiet and cautious, “Did I… did I say something wrong?”

_I think this is the first time she has seen me like this. Usually I’m so soft-spoken and shy, but now… now is different. For Chloe to think that I would want to do that… doesn’t she know?_

**_“Max, calm down.”_ **

_Fuck that._

My entire body shakes from trying to quell the flood of tears that threaten to fall from my eyes, “I don’t want to “get some action” from a fucking random stranger…”

I can no longer hold the tears back and they run down my cheeks onto the bed. I push her in frustration and she almost falls off, but manages to steady herself at the last second. This time, Bongo shoots off my lap, hiding behind Chloe. He peaks back at me cautiously. Chloe looks at me, wide eyed, her mouth open in shock, her eyebrows raised.

“…because I already fucking love you!”

My words hang in the air, reverberating off the wall. Chloe sits there dazed staring at me with a look I can’t decipher.

_Well done, Max. You fucked up big time._

I place my head in my hands, stifling my sobs.

_Now, Chloe won’t want to spend time with you. Idiot._

I feel her hand on my shoulder and Bongo licks my hand tentatively.

“Max…”

_I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t feel like this… but I do. I know Chloe was just saying things with the best intentions… but that doesn’t stop it from hurting._

I turn from her and hold my hand up to silence her. I try to control my breathing, to stop the torrent of tears, “Don’t… just…” the words get stuck in my throat, the words I so desperately want to tell her.

_I hate this feeling. I’m trapped in my own head. I keep hammering on the glass, trying to reach out to anyone who will listen…_

I feel a warm pressure on my cheek that turns my head to face Chloe. Her piercing blue eyes meeting mine. I try to move my eyes from hers, those eyes that peer into the very depths of my soul… I could never hide how I feel from Chloe, believe me, I’ve tried. She takes my head in her hands, forcing me to look directly at her. Her hands shake slightly against my cheeks as she wipes away a tear from my cheek as it falls.

“Max. I… I didn’t realize. I just thought the party from before was you know experimenting. It was such a long time ago and... I didn’t think you would actually… I mean I hoped, but… god I’m so fucking stupid,” she worries her lip between her teeth, closing her eyes momentarily. When they flicker open, they are no longer uncertain or afraid, “Max… I… I love you too. I have done for a while. You’re the only person who actually gives a shit about me. And I was so afraid… afraid that I’d fuck everything up if I said it. I didn’t want to lose you, ever,” her thumb moves slowly over my cheeks, gently rubbing, “Can you forgive me for being such a spineless coward?”

**_“Called it.”_ **

I lean in and kiss her. Her eyes register surprise for a moment. I think that is the first time Chloe has really been caught of her guard. The surprise soon fades, replaced with desire. She draws me closer and moves her lips against mine. Her hands explore my back, mine tangle in her dyed blue hair. Bongo purrs happily, leaning against me.

_This is different from the innocent kiss at the party… this is more… more passionate and certain. Less controlled and shy. This kiss is bold and no longer questioning. We both know what we want this time and we don’t have any problems expressing it._

I break apart from her, placing my forehead against hers as I gaze into those expressive blue eyes of hers that shimmer and sparkle in the moon light seeping through my window.

I feel a smile tug at my lips, “Does that answer your question?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess here could be signalled as the actual proper beginning of Pricefield in the fic. Like I said before, I’ll go back once the story is finished and put the chronological order up too. Next chapter will have a lot of Pricefield in (I’m skipping Alone and Navajo because they didn’t really fit, straight onto Separation and the Dinner). Have a great day guys and see you next time.


	7. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Max to join the CIA... and Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I’m finally back with the story. I had to separate this chapter into two because it was getting kind of long.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Seven: Separation**

**Separation (Age 18)**

I prop my chin on my hand as I stare idly out of the window. This place is in a remote area near a thriving forest. They didn’t want people wandering across it by accident, that would cause no end of problems. It also means that there is very little to do around here other than train or lay around. Birds sing sweetly and swoop lazily in the sky. A small tawny doe darts out from the undergrowth of the forest a little way away from this building. It sniffs the air curiously.

_I wish I could be out there. Freely roaming around._

Its eyes lock onto mine for a brief moment before it makes its way back into the forest, disappearing off to its freedom. I sigh as I stare out of the window.

_She’s always late, without fail._

Someone taps me on the shoulder, causing me to jump. I spin around and see Samuel staring back. I clutch at my chest and take a deep breath, “Jeez Samuel, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

He is always so stealthy and without fail scares the shit out of me each and every time he creeps up on me. Part of me wonders if he enjoys it in a way, I wouldn’t blame him. I’m sure he doesn’t have much more of an entertainment value than me around here.

He smiles at me serenely, “Max, she’ll come.”

_I always feel like Samuel can read my mind. Maybe he can, I wouldn’t be surprised. Stranger things have happened, me being a prime example._

I prop my chin on my hand again, watching the world pass me by, “I know. She always does this.”

Samuel scratches his head, “Time isn’t always on your side.”

I sigh, “Don’t I know it?”

_I’ve kind of gotten used to Samuel’s way of speaking, sure I’m still a bit confused sometimes, but I feel like he’s guiding me… but to where?_

He places a hand on my arm, “Hold onto her tight. Don’t let her go, Max.”

_Samuel has met Chloe a few times. They get on really well. Samuel may not look it, but he can be such a shit stirrer, just like Chloe. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. I’m glad they are on my side… most of the time._

“Not for anyone. They will try. God knows they’ll try,” he stares at me with a piercing gaze, willing me to take his advice.

_I’m glad Samuel cares about me, even if no-one else here does._

“I don’t plan on it.”

Samuel smiles as his soft spoken words wash over and calm me, “You’ve always been such a good egg, Max. Samuel is proud of you. No matter what you have to do, Samuel knows you will make the right decision.”

_Everything he’s saying sounds so… final._

I turn to him, “I’m not moving away forever, Samuel. I’ll come visit.”

He smiles at me forlornly, his eyes filled with sadness, “Sometimes, It’s best to finish off the chapter completely than to hold onto the last word that keeps you back, even if the next one seems scary. Tie up the loose ends.”

I stand up and give Samuel a hug. I feel his arms envelop me. He always did give awesome hugs… god knows I’ve needed a few.

_Samuel is the only person other than Chloe who actually cares about me. He has always been there to provide a sympathetic ear, to clean up the cuts and bruises, to hold me when I cried… damn it._

I feel the tears sting at my eyes, my voice threatening to break, “You’re the only person I could trust these past few years, besides Chloe. I want to see you again.”

Samuel hugs me tighter. He shakes a little, his usually composed voice thicker, “Oh, Max. That makes Samuel very happy. Samuel trusts you too. Samuel will always be here for you and Chloe. Both of you deserve more than this world is willing to give. You have a long road ahead, diverging paths. Which one will you lose yourself in?”

_Whichever lets me stay with Chloe… no matter the cost._

He breaks the hug, offering me a sad smile, his eyes apologizing to me, “Go on now, choose.”

I glance back outside and see a beat-up yellow truck park up, one I recognize very well, “She’s here!”

I race out into the hallway, my heart beating erratically in anticipation. I careen through the double doors and see a woman standing there. She’s quite tall, I’d say around 5’9. She wears black combat style boots, grey patched up cargo pants, a white tank top and a black leather jacket. Her hair is bright blue, but it you look closer it fades to purple the closer to the top of her head you look, with strawberry blonde roots poking through the sea of colour. She shrugs off her jacket, exposing a full length tattoo on her right arm. A white fluffy cat brushes around her legs.

I run up and launch myself at her, “Chloe.”

She almost falls over, but manages to steady herself at the last moment and ruffles my hair, “Sup Max.”

I give her a big hug, one she returns, “I missed you.”

She whispers into my ear, her breath warm against my skin, “Me too.”

She squeezes me hard, giving me a bone-crushing hug then lets me go. Bongo bats at my leg impatiently and I bend down to scratch his ear. Chloe reacts slightly, but she manages to keep it under control for the most part. Her head twitches, but nothing like before. I grab her right arm, really looking at her tattoo. She didn’t have it last time. She has always told me how much she wanted to get one and I guess now she’s gone and done it.

_She did always have to rebel against everything._

“Liking the tat.”

Chloe glances down at her right arm, “Yeah. I haven’t seen you since I got it, have I?” she smiles at me impishly, her eyes sparkling with amusement, “When are you getting yours?”

I idly trace the colourful lines of the twisting vines, the skull adorned with a red flower, the blue butterflies, “I don’t know.”

She playfully punches my arm, “Come on girl, live a little.”

_I guess after everything that has happened, It’s silly to be scared of getting a tattoo._

“Maybe soon.”

Chloe grins mischievously, “You have to bring me along when you go.”

_I bet she would love taunting me about it._

I shake my head, “What so you can laugh at me screaming?”

She laughs, “Pfft. If I wanted to hear you screaming, there are way more fun ways of doing it,” she raises an eyebrow suggestively and smirks.

_Chloe really can’t help herself._

I playfully push her, “You are out of control.”

She offers me her famous smug lop-sided grin, “Yep, yep. I’m fucking insane in the brain.”

_She hasn’t changed one bit. I haven’t seen her for a month or so in person. We’ve text, but It’s not the same. I had to study for tests to transfer and she had training. I know I wouldn’t have studied anyway if she had come over._

Chloe motions towards my room with her head, well soon to be my old room, “I’ll come help you pack, yeah?” as we walk down the corridor, she shoves her hands in her pockets, “At least you’re old enough now to come join me at the CIA. It’s a shame we couldn’t transfer over before now. Both programs didn’t want to let us go, huh? I bet they think we’ll be rivals.”

I reach down, teasing her hand out of her pocket so I can hold it, “More fool them. I can’t wait to be able to spend time with you.”

She intertwines her fingers with mine, “I can’t either. We’ve only been waiting, what… five years is it now?”

_Dog, has it been that long?_

“Whatever it is, it was too long.”

Chloe brings my hand to her lips and kisses it, “On that we can agree, Super Max.”

We open the door to my safe haven... or is it prison? The lines get blurred more often than I’d like. The front room is the living room. There’s a couch and TV near the wall to our right as we enter. A little way ahead to the right is a small kitchen with a fridge, a few counters, a small wooden table, two chairs, a microwave and a blender. Another room leads on from the living room, my bedroom. The place I have been sleeping for almost all of my life. The walls are covered in posters, post-it notes with reminders, polaroids and various other captured moments from my life. My trusty guitar leans on the wall next to my bed and my little analogue camera sits on my bedside table.

_Right, let’s get this packing underway._

As I start to gather up the mementos of my life from this small room I have come to know as my own, I motion over to my wardrobe, “Chloe, can you grab my clothes?”

“Sure thing.”

She walks over to my wardrobe and opens it. I grab a duffel bag from the floor and start to take down the polaroids from my wall. There are a lot of Chloe and I, in fact pretty much all of them are. Whenever we met up, we made sure to take a photo. Some more shaky ones with off lighting and a bit of blur take pride of place in the middle.

_Chloe took those ones. She was so pissed when she realized photography wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be. She used up half my film trying to prove that she could do it, something she still owes me for._

“Ooh la la,” Chloe’s voice carries over to me and I turn to see what’s gotten her so excited. She stands there, a huge grin on her face as she holds something in her hands.

I crane my neck to see what has got her so excited, “What have you got there?” I ask, worried about the answer she will give.

She gives me an impish look, “I was about to ask you the same question, Ms. Caulfield,” she holds up an item in her hands so I can get a better look.

I squint, trying to figure out what it is, then immediately blush, “Uh…”

Chloe has some lacy underwear in her hand, “You’ve been holding out on me, Caulfield,” she looks at it curiously, turning it over in her hands.

I clear my throat, my cheeks burning, “Chloe, this is kind of embarrassing…”

She looks over to me, “Why? It’s just underwear. You were the one who wanted me to pack your clothes, remember? You do want underwear, don’t you? I mean, you can go commando if you want I guess. It’s not like I’d stop you.”

_Her logic is just…_

I go to grab them off her, but she dangles them just out of my reach. I curse my height and jump up to get them back, but she just moves them up higher in the air.

_Damn it._

She grins at me teasingly, “I hardly think that would be appropriate to wear while training… so, why do you have them?”

I bite my lip and look at the floor awkwardly.

_Don’t make me say it, Chloe. Please…_

Chloe’s smile falters and her eyes widen slightly in realization, “Oh… oooh. Um…” she passes them to me, rubbing the back of her neck as I grab them from her and stuff them in my bag out of sight as quickly as possible.

_For all Chloe’s flirtations, she’s just as awkward as me when it comes to… properly talking about that kind of thing._

I clear my throat, “Maybe… maybe I should do the rest of that. You get the polaroids.”

Chloe pulls her beanie down a bit to hide her embarrassment, “Y-yeah.”

She walks over to the wall and picks the photos off. I throw the rest of my clothes in, paying little attention to how neatly they are packed, and head on over to my bedside table. I pick up a picture that sits on it. A man and a woman stand there, smiling… a young girl laughing in delight as they swing her between them…

_She doesn’t know… not yet…_

Chloe comes up behind me and puts her arms around me, “Hey, what’s wrong?” I pass her the photo and her eyes soften as she realizes what the picture is, “Max…” she holds me closer, placing a small kiss on the nape of my neck.

“Why did they never come visit?” I question.

Chloe’s voice is soft and gentle, soothing the pain in my heart, “There has to be a reason, right?”

These questions have been playing over and over in my mind for the past ten years. My parents never seemed like the type of people who would abandon me. There has to be a reason… still It’s hard to think up one.

“Maybe…” I breath.

Chloe turns me around, my face meeting hers, “Look, they sounded like decent people from what you’ve told me. They wouldn’t do something like that maliciously. Maybe sometime we can find out where they are and go ask them.”

_It would be nice to get some answers._

“I hope so.”

I sit down on the edge of the bed, taking in every detail of the room I have lived in since I was about eight years old. All the weird stains on the carpet from when I dropped food, but couldn’t be bothered to clean it up properly, the peeling paint I pulled at when I was bored, the dents in the wall from when I got angry or frustrated, the huge crack in the ceiling Chloe managed to make while I went to the bathroom. I literally left the room for five seconds and she still somehow wrecked it. She never did tell me how it happened. Then the fondest memory I have of this place, when Chloe and I realized that we loved each other…

My lip quirks upwards into a smile at this last memory.

_So many memories…_

“I can’t believe I’m leaving this place. I’ve been here for so long.”

Chloe perches herself on the edge of the bed beside me. Her voice is uncertain and hesitant as she looks down at her hands, “Yeah, you have, but you… do want to go, right? I mean… you don’t have to…” her voice fades at the end.

_Chloe…_

I shift closer to her and the bed dips, which causes her to look up at me. I offer her a small smile, “I’d have to go eventually, besides…” I grab Chloe’s hand firmly, “I’d rather go with you.”

She takes my hand and kisses it, her lips gently brushing against the back of my hand, “I’d rather you come with me too,” she gazes deeply into my eyes, still grasping onto my hand. There is a glint of mischief in her eyes, one I have come to both fear and embrace, “You know, I may have persuaded Ray to give us a little bit of… private time in here. No cameras.”

_She really does have a way with people._

I raise an eyebrow in surprise, “How’d you manage that?”

She winks at me, “I have my ways. I told him that this was a big thing for you and that you’d need some time alone in your room without surveillance. It’s not like you would be going anywhere, right?” I stare at her skeptically and she sighs in defeat, shrugging, “Ok, fine. I said I’d treat him to lunch. He’s gone out for a while.”

She smirks at me and adopts a husky tone, “I’d say we should use this time to our… advantage. Don’t you agree?”

I lean in and press my lips against hers tenderly, “Definitely.”

She captures my lips, moving them roughly against mine. I hold her close, kissing back just as roughly. The kiss still somehow retains its tenderness even with the desperation. Her hands crawl up my back, her touch sends shivers up my spine. She pulls away a little, “I really have fucking missed you, Max Caulfield.”

I press my lips on hers briefly, “And I’ve missed you, Chloe Price.”

_It’s been so long since I’ve seen her. I didn’t even realize how much I missed her. Between training and tests, we haven’t been able to see each other a lot. When we did it was so great, but we never really had much time, at least completely alone._

I feel Bongo brushing up against my leg and Chloe smiles, shaking her head. She pulls back and looks down to Bongo, who blinks up at her innocently, “Bongo, you serious? You jealous? Well… you should be,” I rub Bongo with my leg, causing Chloe to writhe a bit with pleasure, “Man, I’m still not used to that. So many sensations at once.”

I scratch behind Bongo’s ears and kiss her again. She hums in approval while Bongo purrs. She gently guides me down onto the bed and straddles me, continuing the kiss. I place my hands under her top and lightly scratch my nails on her back. This action makes her deepen the kiss. Bongo sneaks under her arm and licks my face. She breaks apart for a second and laughs, nudging Bongo as she does so, “Bongo, you kissing my girl? You big flirt.”

He meows at her, jumping onto her shoulder and perches himself there. Chloe shakes her head and presses her body against me, leaning her mouth close to my ear. Her breath is warm on my skin, “Cats, huh?”

I grab hold of her neck and bring her down to me. I gently pull at her bottom lip while running my short fingernails across her exposed neck. Bongo purrs loudly and sits contently on Chloe’s shoulder, looking down at me. She slides her tongue into my mouth and explores every part of my mouth with it, running it along my teeth and playfully poking my tongue. Her fingers slowly make their way under my top, brushing against the skin of my stomach. Her hands warm my skin as they explore. My hands crawl under her shirt, up her back once again. She shifts under my touch and sighs into my mouth while Bongo gently pads her shoulder. I take a hand from her back and use it to tickle his chin. She leans over too far and we both end up falling onto the floor in an undignified heap.

“Ouch.”

Chloe chuckles heartily, giving my nose a quick kiss, “Damn Max. That was hardcore.”

She untangles herself from me and stands up, offering me a hand. I take it and brush myself down. She lays back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I join her and we sit there in silence for a while. Her hand gently brushes against mine. She is always so unsure about this kind of thing. I take her hand and intertwine our fingers.

_It’s so nice just to be able to kick back and relax. I dunno if I’m sad to leave this place particularly, but it’ll be strange not being here._

I shift uncomfortably the metal springs from the bed digging into my back, “I tell you something, this bed is so not comfy.”

Chloe turns her head towards me, her vibrant blue eyes gazing into mine, “Yeah, and it isn’t big enough. The beds at the CIA base aren’t much better. At least when you graduate, you can get your own place.”

_It would be nice to have a place of my own, no cameras and more freedom… I’m not sure we will ever be completely free though._

Her eyes show uncertainty for a moment. She swallows hard and bites her lip, “You know…” her words get caught in her throat. I turn over to face her, reaching out and placing a hand on her cheek. She closes her eyes for a moment, leaning into my touch.

_Chloe very rarely shows her more vulnerable side._

“Yeah?”

She takes my hand, playing with my fingers, “We could… live in the same place… if you wanted to.”

_Is she…?_

I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth to speak, but no words leave it. After a few seconds of silence, I manage to speak, “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

She clears her throat, focusing her gaze on my hand, her voice is hesitant, “I guess, yeah. I mean, why not? After the CIA training, we can get our own place. It seems stupid to have two places when we’ll probably be spending most of our time in one, right?”

I shift closer to her, “Now, that’s an idea I can get behind.”

Chloe sighs in relief, “I’m glad, because it would have been hella awkward if you’d said no.”

I nudge her foot with mine, “I never could resist the Price kicked puppy dog eyes.”

She grins at me cheekily, “Duly noted.”

_I should have known she would try to use it to her advantage and abuse it._

“Just so you know, that doesn’t give you a free pass.”

She chuckles heartily, “Damn, Max. So cruel,” she sighs contently and stares back up at the ceiling, her foot gently tapping against mine, “You know, I have a feeling this is going to be quite the adventure for us.”

_If only we had known the real weight of these words…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. Have a super day and see you next time for more Pricefield.


	8. At the Mercy of Her Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, we are back with the story. I’ll try to get updates out more regularly now I have a bit more time on my hands. Here’s the next chapter.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Eight: At the Mercy of Her Touch**

**The Dinner (Age 22)**

The final arrangements have been made for Chloe and I to live together after months of preparations and paperwork. It seemed to take forever to get to this stage, but we’re finally stood outside the door to the apartment… our apartment.

_It seems weird to call it that._

Chloe removes her hand from mine so I can unlock the door. I shift my bags into one hand and take out the key, turning it in the lock with a small click. I turn to Chloe with a gentle expression, “Ready?”

She smiles warmly at me and returns her hand to mine, squeezing it gently, “Always.”

I push on the door and we shuffle on into the flat, Chloe closes the door behind us. She looks around incredulously at the large well-furnished space, “Damn, they really fitted this place out, huh?”

Her eyes wander over to the massive plasma TV sat on a stand near the door. She haphazardly throws her bags to the wooden floor and stares at it in awe with an expression of pure delight, “That TV is fucking huge,” she crouches down and inspects it closer, glancing over her shoulder at me with the dorkiest grin on her face, “I bet it’s great for gaming.”

_Chloe is such a huge nerd… then again so am I._

I make my way over to her, checking out the TV along with the small collection of DVD’s stored in the stand underneath.

_That is a tasty plasma. They certainly didn’t spare any expense on this place. It makes a change to actually have somewhere nice to crash._

“We’ll have to test it out later.”

She stands up and raises an eyebrow in amusement, “Are you challenging me, Caulfield?”

Chloe has always been competitive ever since she was a teen. No matter what we did, she always turned it into a battle for something. She gets this really proud expression whenever she wins, which I find kind of cute. A bonus is that when she gets like this, she becomes way more affectionate… after the obligatory bragging of course. I don’t mind too much, it’s more important to see her smile than to worry about my damaged pride.

I reach up and gently push her shoulder, “Damn right, Price.”

She cracks her knuckles and smirks at me, a playful glint in her azure blue eyes, “Be prepared to lose.”

My eyes fall on the coffee table in front of the couch, a small bottle of wine sat atop it. I make my way over and pick it up, noticing that there is a note attached to it.

**Enjoy your new place, girls.**

_Well, ain’t that nice?_

“Yo, Chloe,” I hold up the bottle so she can see.

Her eyes light up as she realizes what the bottle is and grins, “Sweet. Hopefully it’ll be better than that beer we drank when we around sixteen.”

_I don’t think it would be possible to find something that tasted worse to be honest._

“I don’t think anyone would class that as beer,” I point out, the very thought of that “beer” bringing forth the horrific aftertaste.

Chloe joins me over by the table and shrugs the duffle bag off her shoulder onto the floor, “Good point,” she stretches and rolls her shoulders, her entire body clicking, “So, what shall we get food wise? I am hungry like the wolf.”

_Chloe sure has an insatiable appetite._

“When aren’t you?” I lightly tease as I place my duffel bag considerably more carefully on the wooden floorboards beside hers.

She offers me an impish smirk, placing her hands behind her head and winks, “Especially with you around, right?”

I roll my eyes playfully at her, unable to stop the very slight blush creeping onto my cheeks at her comment, “Let’s just get pizza. I dunno about you, but I am too wiped to cook.”

She claps her hands together excitedly, “Done and done,” she flops on the couch and fumbles around in her pocket for her phone. She punches in the familiar number and puts the phone to her ear.

As she orders, I take a moment to stare out of the large windows overlooking the bustling streets. I rest my forehead and press my hand on the cold glass as I peer. Lights flicker as cars speed past on the roads below, briefly illuminating the otherwise dark area. The night sky twinkles with thousands of stars and the moon shines down, casting its dim glow on the world below.

A hand rests over mine I feel something soft and warm pressed to the nape of my neck sending shivers down my spine. The sensation moves up the back of my neck and then across the exposed part of my shoulders. I sigh contently, my breath fogging up the glass as teeth graze lightly over my skin. A hand snakes its way around my waist as a subtle weight presses further into my back.

“Max…” Chloe whispers in my ear in a husky tone that causes me to tremble. The way she touches me does things to my body that I never thought possible, “Let’s give the rest of this place a check and get unpacked,” she untangles herself from me, my body craving her warmth again the moment it leaves me, “the night is still young yet.”

She picks up her bag again and makes a b-line for the bedroom. I grab my bags and take a peek at the kitchen, my eyes lingering over the pristine counter, “It’s not gonna stay like this for long,” I mutter to myself as I follow Chloe into the bedroom and put my bags on the floor beside the wardrobe set into the wall. I find Chloe inspecting the small bathroom connected to the bedroom. There is a toilet, a sink with a mirror above it and shower.

“Cozy in here,” she comments as she steps into the shower to get a better look at it all.

Once satisfied, she takes a running jump and lands on the bed, which creaks under the sudden weight. She shifts, getting settled and places her hands behind her head, “Damn, this is comfy. Nothing like the shit we had to sleep on at the CIA training base.”

_The bed at the CIA base were so hard and lumpy, not comfortable at all. It’s a wonder we actually got any sleep at that place._

I make my way over to the bed and press my hand down on the mattress, finding it to be exceedingly soft and bouncy, qualities I am really not used to, “I might actually get a decent night’s sleep here, for once.”

Chloe smirks at me cheekily, “If I let you.”

_For all Chloe’s talk, she’s never really acted on her flirtation. I’m too nervous to initiate anything, as much as I want to. It’s not really something you can just blurt out. ‘Hey, Chloe. I wanna tap dat ass.’_

My lip quirks upwards into a small smile at the thought of me saying this to her.

_Maybe one day it’ll just happen. We haven’t really talked much about it and we haven’t really been in a place where we could. Maybe now will be different. I swear I catch her looking at me sometimes, the way I imagine I look when I’m thinking about… things._

Heat creeps up into my cheeks and I quickly walk over to the closet to hide my embarrassment from her. It’s fairly small, but enough for what we need.

_It’s not like either of us are too fashion conscious._

I place my bag on the floor, taking out my clothes and begin hanging them up. Something hits the back of my head. I turn back to see a pillow on the floor and Chloe giving me a pleading look as she pats the space beside her, “Maaaaaaaaaaaaaax. You can do that shit later. Come test out the bed.”

_She’s so demanding._

I drop the t-shirt I’m holding and lay beside her, staring at the ceiling, “I think I’m going to like it here.”

Chloe turns her head, “Same. Wherever you are is home enough for me.”

I chuckle, “We’re starting early with the cheesy lines tonight.”

The doorbell rings and Chloe jumps up, racing to the door with an almost inhuman speed. She grabs the pizza and hands over the money, placing the box on the coffee table. We eagerly make our way to the couch, both extremely hungry from the day of travelling.

I switch on the TV, idly flicking through channels, “Oh hey, look. Blade Runner.”

We flop down on the couch, snuggle up close and begin to eat. Chloe has ordered a lot of food and I mean **_a lot_** , mind you, both of us use a lot of energy sustaining our techniques. Bongo transforms from a butterfly to his white cat form and jumps up, curling into a tight ball on my lap. He is no longer a kitten, having aged along with Chloe. I tickle his chin, which causes Chloe to almost throw the pizza slice she’s holding in the air.

I giggle as she shakes her head, “You enjoy doing that, don’t you? That could have been a disaster. Bongo you scamp. Are you trying to make this place messy five minutes in?”

Bongo stares at her innocently with his bright blue eyes and purrs happily. We devour the pizza and make our way through most of the wine too, which I might add tastes way better than the beer we tried before.

As we finish Chloe sighs contently, her hands behind her head as she slumps back into the couch, “That hit the spot.”

I rest my hands on my stomach, “It sure did.”

Chloe looks over to me and starts laughing.

“What?”

She reaches out her hand and points to my chin, “You got a bit on your chin, here let me…”

“No way, I’ve got it,” I protest, moving back just out over reach.

She leans over too far and ends up falling on top of me, “Ouch.”

She leans on her arms above me and offers up an apologetic smile, “Sorry.”

I look up at her, my heart racing from the sudden intimacy. Chloe’s gaze wanders from my eyes, down my face to my lips then back up to my eyes. Her voice is husky and low, “Max…”

She leans down and kisses me tenderly. Her hands begin to wander along my skin, causing bolts of electricity to shoot down my spine. I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me, desperate to eliminate any space between us. Her lips move more roughly against mine at the contact, her tongue sliding into my mouth and exploring. My fingers lightly graze her back, causing her to sigh into my mouth as she continues to kiss me. I get completely lost in her, all my worries and fears fading at her touch.

She suddenly picks me up, not stopping our kisses. I hold onto her tightly to make sure I don’t end up falling to the floor and hurting myself. That’s the kind of thing that would end up happening to me if I wasn’t careful. She carries me into the bedroom and lays me down gently.

I giggle at her sudden display of cheesy romance, “Impressive, Ms Price.”

She climbs on the bed and straddles me, leaning her face close to mine, “You haven’t seen anything yet,” she whispers, her warm breath tickling my ear.

She leans down and kisses my neck, her teeth grazing my skin as she works her way along it. I dig my fingernails into her back, causing her to shudder and I move my neck to expose more skin to her sweet kisses. The feeling is almost too much for me to handle as her lips brush over my neck. When her kisses reach my pulse, I tug at the bottom of her shirt lightly. Chloe breaks away from me for a moment, pulling her top over her head and throws it to the floor, exposing her toned abs. My eyes roam over her well-toned physique.

_It seems all that CIA training has paid off._

She reaches down and takes the bottom of my top and begins to slowly ease out of it. I arch my back to help her, the cold air rushing against my newly exposed skin causing me to shiver.

_Wowser, this is actually happening._

I start to wonder if this is all some vivid dream again, but it seems too real for this to be a fabrication of my mind. The way she is looking at me now, her blue eyes so intense convince me that this is real.

“Max…” she utters in a hushed tone as she places a hand on my cheek, “I don’t know how long I can resist you, not anymore. I don’t want to live one day without you in my life…” her next few words come out as little more than a whisper, “that’s the only thing that could really kill me…”

She kisses my cheek, then my forehead, my nose and finally my lips. The feeling of her bare skin on mine adds a whole other level to this experience. I kiss her back as I run my fingers over her back, mapping out the contours and dips.

_I want to remember this, to learn everything about her… to feel her._

Her whispers tickle my ear, her voice becoming thick with emotion, “I don’t want to regret not giving everything to you. I don’t want to waste one precious second of the time we have together. No more fucking around.”

I smirk, “Isn’t that kind of what we are in the process of doing?”

Chloe shakes her head, smiling down warmly at me, “Max the smartass…”

_Chloe doesn’t ever reveal this side of her to anyone… except me. I am very much the same. We can only ever truly trust each other._

Her eyes show a flicker of uncertainty, “If… that is something you want too…”

_Despite Chloe’s bravado, deep down she is really insecure._

I reach up and caress her cheek, “I choose you…”

This is all the confirmation Chloe needs. She immediately presses her lips against mine, the kiss starting out tender at first, then growing ever more passionate by the second. I reach up and tangle my fingers in her faded blue hair, gently scratching and pulling. My body tingles and burns as her fingertips brush lightly against my skin. My mind a haze of desire, no longer capable of coherent thought…

I am at the mercy of her touch…

* * *

We lay there under the sheets snuggled up close to one another, slightly out of breath as small beads of sweat roll down our foreheads. I rest my head on Chloe’s shoulder, listening to her heartbeat slowly return back to its normal pace. Rachel is now sat on a chair in the corner, smirking smugly at me with a look of mild amusement. I think more than anything, she is happy for us though. She knows better than anyone what’s going on in my head and what I’ve been through… in fact, she’s the only one who could really know this. She can hear each and every intimate thought I have with ease, have direct access to my feelings. Bongo has curled up at the foot of the bed, twitching as he dreams. Thankfully the pair of them had gone off for a while until now to give us some time alone. Chloe and I were connected to them 24/7 and sometimes it could cause tensions, especially with someone as opinionated and full on as Rachel. We never really had a moment to ourselves. I have never been so at peace with the world as I am now in Chloe’s arms. In this moment, it almost feels like we’re two normal people living our everyday lives out together… that couldn’t be further from the truth though. We aren’t normal people and we never will be.

“I know that look, Max. What’s wrong?” Chloe hesitantly asks, her brow furrowed worriedly as she looks at me.

_She always gets so worried about me. I guess someone has to be…_

I sigh and shuffle up to her, “I’m just… thinking…”

She gazes at me with concern, “About what?”

“If we were normal,” I mumble into her shoulder, feeling the slight sting of tears in my eyes, “We wouldn’t have to worry about all the other bullshit and we could just…”

Chloe cuddles up closer to me and sighs, “Max, if we were normal people we probably would never have met and that would make me really sad.”

_Without Chloe… my life wouldn’t be worth living._

“Me too,” I whisper, leaning up and kissing her cheek.

She squeezes me, tangling our legs together, “So what if our lives are kind of shit? With you by my side, it makes everything worth enduring.”

_She always knows what to say to make me feel better… to give me hope._

“Yeah, having you here more than makes up for everything. I would go through it a million times over just to be with you.”

She smiles warmly at me, “That’s better. It’s hard to keep positive, I know that, but we can’t just give up. Not now we’ve finally gotten to this stage. One day we’ll get out of here. Then we can go live in a log cabin deep in the forest so no-on can find us ever.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

_I hope that one day, our dreams can come true. I will fight with every ounce of strength I possess to make this happen._

She kisses me tenderly, “I love you so fucking much, Max Caulfield.”

“And I love you more than life itself, Chloe Price. I have done for a long time,” I admit, letting the words I had been holding in tumble from my lips.

Chloe’s breath is warm against my skin, her fingers reaching out to my hand, “No matter what happens now, I’m hella with you.”

I firmly grab her hand, placing a small kiss on it then get settled back down beside her, sleep threatening to overwhelm me, “We’ll get through this… together.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she mumbles as her eyes slowly begin to close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that and I shall see you next time.


	9. Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you're doing well. Here is the next chapter of this story for you to enjoy.

**Chapter Nine: Promise**

**Mission**

**Max and Chloe’s Apartment (Age 22)**

The warm water hits my aching muscles, washing away the dirt and sweat that has accumulated over the day. Today has been a particularly long and tiring one for me. They’ve really stepped up the intensity of the training recently and it’s been taking its toll on my body. I am just glad to finally be home, not like when Chloe and I were still living at the CIA facility. Jefferson took over as head of the CIA around five years ago now and has slowly been turning it a prison. At first, we hadn’t really noticed it too much, but things soon deteriorated to the point where we were treated little more than tools to be used.

The last few months we’d stayed there had been the worst, our freedom completely restricted under newly enforced curfew rules and the surveillance, both inside and around the facility, had been stepped up considerably. There had even been discussions about putting camera up in our rooms, but thankfully that idea was overturned. Instead, they had settled for posting more guards around the facility, both to keep intruders out and to keep us in. Additionally, they had been calling us up and really testing out our powers. Chloe and I had managed to keep certain parts of our abilities a secret from the CIA in the hope to gain some advantage over them in the future. We’d been fairly successful at that as far as we could tell.

There had been rumors going around just before we left that certain experiments had been going on in an attempt to try and assimilate ours and others powers, among other morally dubious trials. Some had even gone so far as to claim that they kidnapped people off of the street for brutal testing. I wouldn’t put it past someone like Jefferson. In all the time I’ve known him, there has certainly been something… off about him. He’s a total creep and I often catch him leering at us when we’re training.

_Thank dog we aren’t around him 24/7 anymore. He made me and so many other people feel uncomfortable. We still have to see him when we train, but at least I know we can escape later… not like some of the people in that place._

Chloe _really_ doesn’t like him, which is enough to convince me. In fact, she’s been this close to “punching the grin off that smug bastard fuck-faced perv” as she so lovingly put it. I’ve had to hold her back a few times. As much as I would love for her to get her rage on, I don’t want her getting in trouble. People like Jefferson are not the most forgiving to say the least.

I shut off the water for the shower and exhale deeply as the remainder of the bubbles runs down the plug hole.

_No rest for the wicked as they say._

I towel myself off, throw on the nearest semi-clean clothing I can find, which happens to be some sweatpants and one of Chloe’s shirts, and give myself a long hard look in the fogged up mirror. I run my hand along, rubbing off the condensation to see myself more clearly and examine my freckled face. Over the years, my features have definitely become more defined, my once gentle baby face giving way to a sharp jawline and distinct cheekbones. My icy blue eyes peer back at me in the mirror, the once doe-like softness long since gone.

I shake my head, sending a few of the wet droplets clinging to my hair into the air and exit the bathroom. I make my way over to the bed, grabbing one of Chloe comic books from the bedside table as I flop down and get settled. I flick through it absentmindedly while I wait around for her. She said that she was meeting up with someone down at the nearby café and that she’d be back soon. I didn’t press further on it. I trust her implicitly… in fact, she is the only one I _can_ trust, maybe aside from Samuel.

I sigh and place the comic on my chest, staring up at the ceiling. While the shower helped, my limbs and back are still tender. You’d have thought after almost four years I’d have gotten used to it by now, but they always find a way to step up the pace. They always seem to be testing Chloe and I, pushing our limits. Sometimes I fear they are planning to use our “gifts” in a way we won’t like. There is no way I’m going to let them use us like objects. That’s how people break and become nothing more than mindless killing machines.

Rachel floats over to me and nods reassuringly, **_“We won’t let that happen, Max. If it’s the last thing we do.”_**

_I’m glad you’re on board, Rachel._

I hear the front door to the apartment suddenly burst open and heavy footsteps, “Max, where are you?” Chloe calls through the lounge area. Something about the slightly panicked tone of her voice send my heart into overdrive.

_Something is wrong… very wrong._

I sit up and shout back to her, “In the bedroom.”

I hear her hurried footsteps as she walks with purpose into the room panting lightly with Bongo following close behind her. The second her eyes fall on me she strides over, her face pale like she’s just seen a ghost.

My brow furrows in concern at her uncharacteristic terror, “Chloe… are you ok?”

Her eyes dart around the room as she starts to pace, her entire body shaking and her voice strained to remain calm, “No… no, Max. I am not ok. Not in the slightest.”

I stand up, grabbing onto her arm to stop her frantic pacing and pull her closer to me, “What’s wrong?”

Chloe runs her fingers through her faded blue hair, then suddenly grabs onto my shoulders and stares directly into my eyes, “We have to get out of here, Max. Right now.”

Her azure blue eyes are filled with a deep fear, one I have never seen from her before. That is enough to make me feel extremely uneasy, “Chloe, you aren’t making any sense. Just come here, take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

Chloe inhales and exhales a few times to catch her breath, “You know I went to go meet someone at the café?”

I nod, “Yeah. My memories not that bad… yet.”

When Chloe doesn’t even react to my attempt to lighten the mood, I know this is dead serious, “Well, they said that they… overheard that fucker Jeffershit talking to some military type jerk off. It sounded _really_ bad.”

_From experience whenever the military get involved in cases like this, things go to shit pretty quickly._

I bite my lip, worrying it between my teeth, “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

Her eyes soften apologetically as she continues, “They’re going to send us on this totally fucked up mission. They want to put down some resistance group, but these guys are the ones fighting for freedom.”

_I knew the CIA were power crazy, but this is a whole new level of fucked up._

My mind begins to race at the information Chloe just told me and a wave of heated anger surges through me as I mutter through clenched teeth, “Those oppressive bastards.”

She nods in agreement, “Can’t say I’m surprised. We need to leave as soon as we can, for the resistance’s sake and our own,” she drops to the floor and digs out our trusty duffel bags from under the bed, “They don’t give a shit about us as people. They don’t care if we think it’s wrong. To them we are just tools to get what they want. We’re too valuable an asset to them to just let go, so if we refuse they’ll…” she pauses, unwilling to complete the rest of her sentence, not that she has to.

_I know what they’ll do to us. It’s what they do to everyone who defies them._

I shudder at the thought and try desperately to push the horrific mental images out of my mind. I’d seen the aftermath of the CIA’s wrath multiple times and it certainly wasn’t pretty.

Chloe begins grabbing items and haphazardly throwing them into the duffel bags, “They are turning us into killing machines. I don’t want that and I…” her voice breaks as she looks back over her shoulder at me, her eyes pleading, “I need you with me, Max. I can’t do this on my own.”

Without hesitation, I nod to confirm I am with her, “What should we do?”

She seems relieved that I have agreed to this, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug, “Thank you for believing me, Max.”

I lean in and press my lips briefly against hers, “Of course I do. You’re the only person I can trust around here.”

She places a hand on my cheek and kisses me with so much emotion that I feel weak at the knees.

_I don’t want to lose her. If I do… there is no point in carrying on._

She reluctantly pulls away, her hand lingering on my arm for a few seconds and her eyes trained on mine before she gets back to chucking things in the duffel bags, “We need to pack up get going as soon as possible.”

I nod in agreement and give her a hand sorting through our few possessions. We don’t want to take anything unnecessary along with us as it’ll only slow us down. If we are serious in escaping this place, then we can only take the essentials.

I yank open the closet door, shoving our more hardwearing clothing into one of the duffel bags, most of which had been provided by the CIA themselves. Chloe searches the draws, stuffing whatever she deems useful inside her bag, which includes some special military protein bar things and a pocket knife. When I glance back over my shoulder, I can see her staring down at one of our old polaroids with a melancholic smile on her face. After a moment of confliction, she stashes it away in her bag.

When we are finally all packed up, we throw on our jackets and sling the bags over our shoulders. We’ve only been her for a few months and now we’re already leaving. I had hoped that this would work out for at least a bit longer. Always being on the run is… tiring.

_It seems it wasn’t meant to be now. Maybe one day…_

Chloe grabs onto my hand as we walk over to the door, “We have to be hella careful from now on, Max,” she whispers under her breath, “One wrong move and it’s game over for us.”

“I hear you,” I reply in a hushed tone as I grip on tightly to her hand.

Chloe gives me a discreet nod before exiting out into the apartment hallway and swiftly press on down the stairs, deciding to use the back exit just in case someone spots us. Rachel and Bongo follow beside us silently as we dash down obscure alleyways and side streets to throw off the trail when they finally realize we’ve bailed.

_We have been through too much shit to let it end now._

* * *

**Parents (Age 23)**

**Seattle**

Chloe and I walk down the empty streets, sticking close to the shadows. Bongo and Rachel go on ahead, scouting out the area for anyone suspicious. I reach into the pocket of my worn gray hoodie and pull out the crumpled piece of paper with the supposed address of my parents. It seems that as soon as I was sent to that godforsaken prison when I was eight years old, they were relocated to Seattle.

Before we escaped the CIA’s clutches, Samuel visited us and essentially told me where my parents now live in his own cryptic way. It was almost like he could sense that we’d be disappearing off of the face of the earth soon. It was too risky to follow up on before, considering that we had literally just ran away. While there is still a risk now, it had been a couple of months and I need to know why my parents didn’t get in contact with me after I was put into the program. Chloe agreed to my plan without hesitation and here we are.

I reposition my hoodie so that my face is completely covered as we creep down the abandoned alleyways. My body tenses as I listen intently, waiting for the all clear. After what seems like an eternity, Rachel and Bongo return.

**_“Seems clear to me for the moment,”_** Rachel assures, with Bongo meowing quietly in agreement.

I turn to Chloe, “Ready?”

She slips her hand into mine, squeezing gently as she offers me a warm smile, “Always.”

I take a deep breath as we walk over to the modest sized house tucked out of sight down a side street. My eyes roam over the run down house, taking in the peeling white paint and the under watered bushes round the front.  We cautiously approach the door, very aware of every single movement and sound around us. My heart races in anticipation as we stand in front of the door.

_The answer to all my questions is just behind that door._

I stare at it for a few moments, part of me wanting to run away right now. You’d have thought that given the dangerous situations I had been in, that this wouldn’t even bother me. This is a whole different kind of scary, one I can’t just beat into submission.

I swallow hard and, after receiving a reassuring smile from Chloe, I knock on the door. We stand there, waiting to see if anyone is in. Soon enough, I can hear footsteps and shuffling from behind the door, along with the jingling of keys. My heart jumps as the door opens, revealing a woman. She really does look like an older version of me in almost every way. It has been so long since I have seen mom and I am feeling all sorts of strange emotions that have been laying dormant in me over the past few years. Emotions only served to get you and other people killed.

She gives us a curious look as she stands in the doorway, “Hello. Can I help you two?”

The triumphant smile forming on my face at having finally located my parents immediately fades as my mom stares at me like a complete stranger. Even after all these years, she should be able to recognize me. I hadn’t changed that much really. I want to tell her that I am her daughter, but the words get caught in my throat when I notice her weirdly glazed over eyes. It’s as if she doesn’t even see me. My heart sinks when I realize that I know that look. I had seen it so many times while staying at the CIA facility. Mom didn’t recognize me not because I had aged, not because I hadn’t seen her in almost fourteen years… but because she no longer even _had_ the memories of me anymore.

Chloe glances over at me worriedly when I remain silent, before hurriedly making up a cover story, “We are selling magazine subscriptions to Cosmopolitan. Would you like to sign up?”

Mom offers us an apologetic smile, “Sorry dear, I’m not really interested in that.”

Chloe flashes her a charming smile, “No worries ma’am. Have a nice day.”

“You too,” mom replies as Chloe all but pulls me away from the house.

My brain has shut down, unable to process what just happened. I am vaguely aware of dad pulling into the driveway as we leave. He gives us a questioning look before continuing on into the house, not giving us a second thought. I feel as if my heart has been ripped out as we make our way back into the shadows.

* * *

**Deep in the Forest**

We sit by the small fire Chloe made earlier in an attempt to combat the cold. My back is leaned against the small rock alcove we found while stumbling through, which helps keep out most of the wind and rain while also hiding us out of plain sight. I hug my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them as I stare at the flickering flames with a distant expression. Chloe has gone out with Bongo to catch some food and get more firewood, while Rachel and I stayed here. No-one has said much to me since getting away from my parent’s house. They all know me well enough to give me my space and let me come to them. I haven’t cried, I wouldn’t allow myself to. If I cried every time something like this happened, I wouldn’t ever stop.

My ears pick up on twigs breaking and leaves rustling. I don’t react to it at all. I register Rachel going to scout it out to make sure it’s nothing that could hurt me. Thankfully, it’s only Chloe and Bongo coming back from their trip. They’ve managed to catch some fish from the stream just up north and have found a decent amount of dry wood and leaves to keep the fire going. She places everything by the fire and begins to work on the fish, carving away the flesh and discarding the bones with expert precision. In our time at the CIA, we learned a lot of survival skills which have really come in handy ever since we escaped. She prepares and places one of the fish in the fire, just like we’d been shown countless times and watches as it slowly begins to cook.

She doesn’t sit too close to me, wanting to give me some space, but close enough for me to know she’s there if I need her. We’ve both been through enough to know when we do and don’t need to talk. She casually pokes at the fire with a stick, every so often adding another one to fuel the flames, a gentle crackle piercing the air as she does.

After a few minutes of silence, broken only by the ambient forest sounds, I sigh and mumble, “It’s just not fucking fair.”

Chloe glances over at me, gauging if this is a rhetorical statement or if I want her to add something to this. When she meets my eyes, her brow furrows, “Max, I’m… sorry. I’m sorry we have to live in this fucked up world where no-one gives us even a second to just live our lives. I’m sorry that you had to find out in that way, or any way, about your parents.”

I shuffle closer to her, placing a hand on her cheek, “You don’t have to be sorry, Chloe. It’s not your fault.”

When he sees me moving, Bongo slowly creeps over to me and plops himself down beside me, leaning against me as Chloe places a hand over mine, “Still, someone has to say it. If we don’t, then no-one will and we’ll live our lives without ever getting an apology.”

_She’s right. There is no way those assholes will be giving us a heartfelt apology ever. We’ll be lucky if they don’t brutally murder us at this point._

I lean in and tenderly place a kiss on her lips, “Then… I’m sorry too.”

She presses her lips against mine more firmly, kissing me with a desperation I haven’t ever experienced from her before. We’re both so tired of all this. We don’t want to have to keep running. We just want somewhere away from all the political bullshit, somewhere we can just live out our days until we’re old and gray.

_Is that too much to ask? Can’t everyone just leave us the fuck alone for once?_

I shudder as she deepens the kiss, feeling the tears I had been supressing finally fall. They trickle down my cheeks as we share sweet kisses. I lose myself in this moment and in her, not paying attention to anything else around me. Time seems to almost stop as we sit there in this small alcove in the middle of the forest as the rain hits the ground with soft thuds and the wind howls. The smell of the fish cooking causes my stomach to grumble softly, but I don’t let it distract me… not now. She overwhelms my senses, holds me at her mercy, offers me everything I could ever want and more. If it wasn’t for her, I would have given up a long time ago. She gives me something to fight for.

Chloe breaks apart, resting her forehead against mine as her own tears fall from her blue eyes now filled with determination as she grips onto my hand, “One day… one day we’ll find our own safe haven. I promise, Max.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this story now. It’s certainly been a ride. Have a great day, stay safe out there and I’ll see you next time for the penultimate chapter.


	10. An Eye for an Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is only so long you can run from the past before it catches up with you, something Max and Chloe will now realize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, what’s up? I hope you are all doing well today. Here is the penultimate chapter.  
> Enjoy

**Chapter Ten: An Eye for an Eye**

**CIA Facility - Basement (Age 23)**

All good things come to an end… and that is when the bad ones start.

Never has that one phrase been so true as now. That was something Samuel told me a long time ago when I was just starting out on this messed up journey, aged eight with little to lose. He really is a wise man, something a lot of people dismiss immediately because of his cryptic way of speaking and low status in the grand scheme of things. I didn't. I always paid attention to him and learned some valuable lessons from it… not that it helps me much right now.

Chloe and I are sat down in one of the rooms in the basement of the CIA facility, both strapped into a chair and completely unable to get out of this. We were naïve to think that we could run away forever. They eventually caught up with us and in our already weakened state we couldn't do much against them. We fought hard, so damn hard, but in the end we lost. Now, we are at their mercy… or lack thereof. Rachel tried to free us, but for some reason she couldn't do anything and neither could Bongo. Since we were gone, they must have been working on some effective way to capture and hold us here. We can't use any of our powers, so it would appear that they have succeeded. The longer we spend in here, the harder it is to hear and see either of them, which is worrying to say the least.

I haven't ever been in one of these rooms before, but I've heard about them. These are the rooms reserved for traitors and prisoners, where these fucked up bastards "interrogate" their victims. They have no qualms about resorting to violence and torture to get people to comply. Ever since we woke up here, Chloe has tried everything from getting mad to struggling and growling like a caged animal, but nothing got us closer to escaping. Now she seethes in silent anger, waiting to tear the throat out of the first person who walks through that door. I on the other hand don't give them the satisfaction. I simply sit here, unmoving and saying nothing. I know they are watching… they always are around here.

"We were so close, Max," Chloe mumbles through gritted teeth, her head bowed so that her hair hides her face, "So fucking close from escaping this shitpit."

I wince involuntarily and feel my heart constrict painfully at the utter despair I hear in her voice, "Yeah, we were."

_We so very nearly did it... but nearly isn't good enough. How many people's stories have ended with them nearly making it, falling just short of the finish line?_

Chloe leans back in her chair, the metal chains restraining her rattling against each other as she does. Her wrists are red from her unsuccessful attempts to escape them and her body is slumped slightly from exhaustion. We've been fighting all our lives and now… it's over. I feel tears sting at my eyes brought on by our dismal, potentially even non-existent futures, but refuse to let them fall. I refuse to give them the satisfaction. I just want to break out of this place and hold her close to me, never letting her go even for a second. That's all I ever wanted.

_Is that too much to ask for?_

After a few moments of tense silence, Chloe vocalizes the questions we have both been asking ever since finding out about our powers, "Why does this always happen to us? What the fuck did we ever do to warrant this kind of bullshit?"

"I wish I knew," I sigh tiredly, staring blankly at the bare gray wall in front of me.

I have no idea how long we've been out for, not that it really matters. They don't really care about us, so long as we can do what they want. Drowsiness begins to overwhelm me and I close my eyes, hoping to get some rest when the door to this room finally creaks open. As far as I can tell, the rooms themselves are soundproof, which would explain why we didn't hear any footsteps. I lift my head lethargically to see a man in a suit with short brown hair and a beard. Cold, calculating brown eyes scan the room from behind his glasses. His lip curls in contempt and his eyes narrow as he strides over to us. Chloe automatically tenses up as he approaches, her hands gripping on so tightly to the arms of the metal chair she is bound to that her knuckles turn white from the pressure.

He stops in front of us, crossing his arms over his chest and regarding us with condescension, "I must say I am disappointed in the both of you," I glare at him silently as he continues his self-serving monologue, "You think you can flaunt the rules, do you?" when neither of us offer up an answer, his jaw hardens considerably and his teeth grit, "Well, around here we are _very_ specific on the rules… and the punishments that follow for breaking them."

As he takes a step towards me a low animalistic growl erupts from Chloe's throat, "Get away from her you fucked up son of a bitch."

A flicker of amusement crosses his eyes as he turns his attention to her. This sick fuck is actually enjoying this and isn't even trying to hide it one bit, "Chloe Price. You never cease to amaze me. I hardly think you are in any position to be making threats now, are you?"

"Shut the fuck up," Chloe snarls aggressively at him, her toned muscles tensed up ready to strike the moment she has the chance.

His eyes become steely, "I think that is quite enough from you. We wouldn't want Max here to have any… accidents now, would we?" a twisted smile forms on his face and Chloe turns pale as she bites her lip, "That's better. I really wouldn't want to have anything untoward happen to either of you if I can help it," he pushes his glasses up his nose and relaxes significantly at our semi-compliance, "Now, what you tried to do was very dangerous for both yourselves and others around you. If you had fallen into the wrong hands, who knows what could have happened."

_At least we wouldn't have to deal with a prick like you._

He tilts his head to one side before continuing in that patronizing tone that sets my teeth on edge. He is fucking with us now, like when a predator has caught its prey and instead of just mercifully killing it, it decides to drag death out by teasing freedom, "I'll be lenient this time, since this is the first offence. All I want from you is an apology. Simple as that," he offers us a smug smirk, "of course, you won't be able to leave this place anymore unless under my strict instruction. We can't trust you after all. That and you will have to be completely obedient to every order I give you without hesitation."

Neither of us say anything, although it is painfully obvious we would love nothing more than to rip into this bastard. He takes our silence as a good sign, "So, Ms. Price, how about we start with you?" he walks over to her and leans his face closer to hers with an arrogant smirk, "Are you going to be a good girl from now on?"

Without warning, she suddenly loses all composure and spits at him. It takes him a second to realize what she has done, but when he does his face turns dark. A loud bone crunching smack pierces the air as he back hands her hard across the face.

"Chloe!" I cry out, pulling against the constraints frantically to escape them and make this all stop.

Jefferson pays little attention to my cries and leans back ever so slightly, "Has that changed your mind?"

She lifts her head once more, her left eye red and already starting to swell from the impact, "F-fuck you," she stammers feebly.

He sighs deeply, "Have it your way then," he rolls his shoulders and pulls his sleeve before placing another hard smack at her eye.

She groans in pain as his fist connects with her face and unadulterated anger surges through my body, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"

He glances over his shoulder at me, "I will as soon as she agrees," he asks her again, "So, are you going to apologize?"

Chloe's body trembles as she sits there, "I'd r-rather… die."

He strokes his chin thoughtfully, "That is a high possibility if you continue this way."

He pulls his hand back and strike her again and again and again, each time asking her to apologize. Each time she refuses and the cycle repeats. I scream, desperate to beat the shit out of him the second I am free. Rachel and Bongo can't do anything to help her, I can't even see them anymore. Tears pour from my eyes as I watch Chloe wince from each blow.

Finally he stops, panting lightly as he looks down at Chloe. Blood trickles from her eye, which is shut and bruised from the barrage of punches, her shoulders slumped and shaking, "It seems that I'm not getting through to you this way… well there are other ways."

He stands up straight and makes his way over to me. I can't help but tremble as he approaches me. My eyes fall on Chloe, who somehow is still conscious after her beating. She always was a fighter.

"Now," he speaks out into the silence, "seeing as hurting you doesn't seem to be getting anywhere…"

"Don't you fucking go near her," Chloe growls weakly.

Jefferson offers up an evil grin, sending shivers down my spine, "I won't… if you comply."

Without hesitation, she blurts out in panic, "Fine, fine. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just… please don't hurt her."

"Good, good," he turns to me with that self-satisfied twisted grin, "How about you, Max? I'm sure Chloe won't withstand much more punishment."

I scowl at him, hating how much power he has over us right now as I reluctantly apologize, "I'm sorry."

Seemingly satisfied with his work, Jefferson stands up straight and cracks his knuckles, "You really made this much more difficult than it had to be, you know. If you try something like this again, you won't be getting off so lightly. We can't have any liabilities around here," his face softens a fraction, "I'll send someone down to tend to your wound, Ms. Price," with that he leaves.

* * *

**Med Bay**

I sit beside the bed, holding on tight to Chloe's hand. She lost consciousness as soon as that bastard left the room. She didn't want to show any weakness, just like her. She's been out for a few hours now and I've been here at her side the whole time with Bongo laying curled up at her side. He thankfully didn't get the full extent of Chloe's injuries, which may have been something to do with the fact we couldn't use our powers either. There was a weakened connect for some reason, which worries me in a way. I couldn't even hear Rachel when we were in that room. There still seems to be some interference now, but it's better.

_We have to get out of this place. If we stay here much long…_

I feel someone squeeze my hand and look up to see Chloe smiling groggily at me, "H-hey, Max."

Tears begin to well up in my eyes as she slowly gains consciousness, "Ch-Chloe…"

She looks like death warmed up right now, her face bruised and her left eye covered with bandages. She probably won't ever be able to see out of that eye again after the beating she took. That thought makes my heart sink.

"So… what's the damage?" she asks softly.

I swallow and reach back for a small mirror sat on the bedside table. It's better to show her than try to explain. I help her sit up a bit and hold the mirror up for her to see. She gives herself a long hard look, turning her face to see the poor state of her face, "Well, guess I'll be needing an eyepatch from now on," she mumbles under her breath.

"Yeah, I reckon so," I sadly agree.

Chloe shakes her head sleepily, still dosed up on the various drugs that had been injected into her to numb the pain and prevent infection, "Oh come on, Max. It's not all bad. Scars are sexy and so are eye-patches. I know I already am hella sexy, but this will just add to that," her exposed azure blue eye meets mine, "I'll be like a proper pirate now."

_Just like Chloe, she always makes a joke of things to lighten the mood, even when they are dire like this._

"Yeah," I sigh as my brow furrows in distress.

I feel her hand on my cheek as her thumb begins to rub, her soothing voice reaching my ears, "Max, it's ok. I'm ok now."

"No, no it's not ok," I mumble, feeling the tears fall, "none of this is ok. It won't ever be ok while we're trapped here."

The door to the med bay opens and I swivel my head around, ready to strike. A man with short graying dark hair, glasses and blue overalls hobbles into the room.

"Samuel? What are you doing here?"

He offers me a melancholic smile as he makes his way over to us, "Samuel came over as soon as he heard what had happened," his expression becomes troubled when he glances over at Chloe, "How are you, Chloe?"

"I've been better," she admits.

Samuel sighs dejectedly, "I'm sorry. This should never have happened to either of you."

I rub my face with my hand, "What do we do, Samuel? I can't take this any longer."

His expression darkens, "Max… there is only one thing you _can_ do now."

"What's that?" I ask.

"You make them pay. Not just for you and Chloe, but for everyone," he mutters lowly so as to not be heard by anyone other than us.

"He's right, Max. We have to end this. They won't leave us alone until either we are dead, or they are," Chloe agrees as she shuffles to a more comfortable position on the bed.

As much as I would love to say that Chloe and I could defeat the entirety of the CIA singlehandedly, there is hardly any chance of us doing it alone, "How, Samuel? How can just two people do that?"

He shakes his head, "Not just any two people, Max. Two people who have little to lose and everything to gain. The two strongest people old Samuel here has ever seen in his life. Two people who Samuel believes in with all his heart," he glances back over his shoulder nervously, "Samuel has to go now. Rest up, get back your strength and when the time comes… Samuel will be back. Maybe he can help you for once," just before he leaves, he looks at us again, "You're not alone."

* * *

**CIA Facility – Max's Room (Age 23)**

I lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and waiting for time to pass. Chloe and I have been separated for obvious reasons since our escape attempt, so we haven't seen much of one another over the past few months. When we have, it's been under supervision so it's not like we could really do or say much. As expected Chloe's sight hasn't come back in her left eye and she insists on walking around with an eyepatch. I firmly drew the line when she suggested getting a parrot and a peg leg much to her disappointment.

We've worked hard over the past couple of months to get people on our side, which wasn't hard at all. There are many people kept here against their own will and they all jumped at the chance of getting revenge, especially those like us. All fifteen of us want out before things get much worse. The guys here without powers also agree that Jefferson needs to be taken down. They have all been trained in the same generic military combat we have, so they are competent fighters. There must be at least thirty of them, if not more, and they all want to see this place crumble. Even some of the CIA members are having doubts, the most prominent of whom is David Madsen. The second he saw Chloe after her one-sided fight with Jefferson, he immediately began working to tear him down, proof that there are still _some_ good people out there as hard is that is to believe considering everything we've been through.

The CIA have been upping their testing and using those without powers to see if they can figure out a way to manually kick start them. It's not been successful so far by any means of the term, at least from what we've seen. The CIA have also been send people on… questionable missions and there have been a few disappearances of uncompliant participants as well. Everyone here is scared that they will be next.

Samuel managed to land a role as a janitor at the CIA facility, thanks to Ray Well's recommendation, and has been helping us out where he can. No-one sees him as a threat… but they would be wrong. He's been helping contact other members of the various programs, getting us into restricted areas and acquiring certain items in preparation for the final battle. Without him, it would have been impossible to get to where we are now.

We've been waiting on the best time to strike. We'll only get one shot at this, so we have to make it count. Through our discreet system, we all agreed that we should launch our attack under the cover of night. There will be more guards, but it'll be easier to move around and so give us some wiggle room. The facility has weird generators around, which we have worked out is the thing that has been tampering with our powers. It must be some kind of dampener on the connection between this world and the next, aka the Infraworld as the scientists here have dubbed it, where Rachel and Bongo originally come from.

The first phase of our plan is to get the dampeners out of the way, then we can use our powers without limitations inside and around the main building. A couple of the people in the program are tech experts and have managed to make sure they will all temporarily shut down on command, which will really turn the tide of the battle. They've also been working on tampering with a few of the military machines too, like gun turrets stationed around the floors and also the security camera feeds so that we can move around unnoticed. Others have set up traps, ready for unsuspecting guards to run into. We all have our own role to play, using our entire skill range and I have to say that I am fairly confident about all this. Today is the day this place burns… and all those oppressive bastards with it.

I wait around until night has set in, listening as the seconds tick by me and glance over at the clock on my wall, **12:54 pm.**

_Almost time to move._

I grab my duffel bag from underneath the floor boards in my room. I had to hide it there to stop them from taking it. It's filled with supplies I got from Samuel like smoke grenades, a pistol and a survival knife, along with a first aid kit and some food and water. At 1:00 am, the techies will shut down the dampeners, fix the security camera feeds so the footage looks normal, switch off alarms, prep weapons and unlock every door they possibly can. Each of the rooms has an electronic lock on it to stop us from wandering around at night. With those out of the way, we'll be free to move around and systematically wipe out every single last one of those assholes. Those who are willing to side with us will be spared, but Jefferson's brainwashing has gone too far now to hope for many of the guards to back down. He made sure to get rid of the weak links the last time we escaped…

I get up and wait by the door. When it hits 1:00 am, I try the door and find that it gives.

_Let's roll out._

I get Rachel to scout out the area for potential threats before sneaking down the hallway. Chloe and I are supposed to be rendezvousing in one of the meeting rooms on the ground floor before we bail on this place. A guard appears out of nowhere just a few feet ahead of me and I dive into one of the alcoves in the wall. As the guard passes, I grab hold of them and apply pressure to their neck until they pass out. One of the others from the program gives me a nod and slings the limp body over their shoulder to take to the designated rooms for those captured. Once the hallway is confirmed to be clear, those on this section of the floor move up and begin clearing out the opposition with ease. We have all been trained extensively in covert combat, so this is no challenge. I signal for the others to move up while I head on downstairs. Every now and then I notice a guard, but they are quickly taken down by either me or another member of our team. Things seem to be going off without a hitch, not that I expected much different. We've been training all our lives for something like this.

_Those fuckers gave us the skills to destroy them and they didn't even realize it. That must have been what Samuel was telling me all those years ago._

I finally make it down to the ground floor and head on to the meeting room, sticking close to the shadows. I reach the end of the hallway without a problem and freeze when I hear muffled voices coming from inside the room. Chloe is there… along with another voice I recognize. My blood runs cold as Rachel goes in for me to have a look. Sure enough, Jefferson is in there with her.

"So, Ms. Price. How is that eye of yours?" he asks tauntingly.

"Fuck you!" Chloe snarls, readying herself for a fight.

"That's no way to greet someone like me," he amusedly remarks, "I thought you'd have learned that from last time."

Her entire body tenses and her fists clench, "You should have killed us while you had the chance, because I'm going to rip your own balls off and feed them to you."

"Those are bold words," he comments, "but foolish."

While he is distracted, I creep into the room and hide behind a pillar.

_There is no fucking way I am letting him hurt her again._

" _ **Max, I can't seem to do anything in this room,"**_ Rachel mentions dishearteningly.

_Ok, I guess I'll have to just get closer then._

I take a deep breath and begin to sneak up on Jefferson as he is mocking Chloe. If she has seen me, she doesn't acknowledge my presence.

"You know what? I think I'll enjoy playing with you, Chloe," Jefferson chuckles manically, "I'll be sure to make it as painful for you as possible."

"Bring it," Chloe hisses, keeping all Jefferson's attention on her.

Seeing an opening, I lunge forward and kick Jefferson hard in the leg. He howls in pain and falls to the floor. I don't waste a second in twisting his arm behind his back and pining him to the floor. He grunts in pain as he hits the floor with a loud thud.

"It's over, you fucker," I snarl.

He laughs evilly, "It's _never_ over, Max."

Chloe strides over to him and places a sharp kick to his ribs, "It is for you. You should be begging for your life right now."

He scoffs, "You won't kill me."

"Not right away," she growls threateningly, "We'll make sure you suffer first. You know what they say," a grimace forms on her face as she points to the eye-patch placed over her left eye, "an eye for an eye."

It is then that a hint of fear enters his eyes, the one and only time I have ever seen anything other than complacency from him. He is right to be afraid, as should everybody who has dared to fuck with us.

We ran out of mercy to give a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last chapter next time guys. It’ll be a kind of epilogue thing. Stay safe out there and see you next time.


	11. All Good Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now free from danger and fear, Max and Chloe can do what they always wanted to do from the beginning... to live.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guys, we are finally at the last chapter of this story. 
> 
> Enjoy

**Chapter Eleven: All Good Things**

**Arcadia Bay – Outskirts (Age 24)**

Flickering rays of sunlight seep through the smudged window of the small apartment building. It is one of the many that has been built over the past year to house those affected by Mark Jefferson's reign of terror as compensation for any harm caused, among other things. The fallout of the CIA corruption created a political shitstorm, forcing them to be temporarily, potentially permanently, shut down while the entire organization was placed under investigation. Their fate is still undecided.

Those who ordered and participated in the brutal and horrific experiments are either dead or awaiting the full wrath of judgement. People such as David Madsen who helped us escape and didn't have anything to do with the barbaric treatment have been relocated. Mark Jefferson himself was judged by those he had wronged and no-one grieved him. Justice had been served, at least as much as could be achieved. He had fucked over so many people that no amount of punishment would ever really be enough, but something was better than nothing.

_So many things remain uncertain and yet, just as many are now clear._

This is what I think as I lay in bed with the covers pulled around me, my arms wrapped around the woman I love more than anything else in this world and beyond, with Bongo sat at the end of the bed and Rachel looking on at us in smug amusement. It took us so long to get to a point where we could just live our lives without fear. Now that we are here, it seems so surreal. The past sixteen years of my life have been a constant state of limbo, filled with things no person should ever have to see. I'm surprised that I am still sane to be honest given everything that has happened.

I feel Chloe's arm snakes around my waist as she shuffles closer to me, her face now inches from mine, "You're being worryingly quiet, Max. What are you scheming?"

I smile at her innocently, "Nothing."

She narrows her right eye suspiciously at me, the other still covered by an eyepatch, "Don't use that look on me. I pretty much invented it," her expression softens as she leans in, placing a tender kiss on my lips, one I am more than happy to receive. It is these moments that make my heart melt, when we are alone and there is no reason to hide how we feel for worry of it being taken advantage of.

When I started out on my life of confinement, I never even thought I'd be able to make a proper friend, let alone get a girlfriend. In fact, that was the very last thing I was expecting. Ever since Chloe and I first met at that party when I was thirteen, there has been an undeniable force pulling me towards her. While the party itself was a nightmare, she has been the single ray of light in the never ending bleakness. Ever since then, she has been the only thing that has kept me going through all the messed up shit. Without her, I would have long since given up and probably would have become little more than a puppet used to terrorize whoever Mark Jefferson deemed opposition.

Chloe rests her forehead against mine, her voice low as she gently probes, "Seriously though, what's up?"

There is no way that either of us can just forget what happened. It will be something that stays with us forever and Chloe knows that better than anyone. It's hard talking about it, to drag up the past, but sometimes it's necessary for us to move forward... or at least attempt to.

"Just… thinking over everything," I sigh.

She offers me a sympathetic smile, her blue eye flickering with melancholy, "Yeah. Things have been… crazy, huh?"

"I don't think that word does it justice," I sadly mention.

"You may be right," she admits, "I'm still tripping over how we've managed to get this far," she once again presses her lips briefly against mine, "It was all worth it to be able to be by your side like this now."

"When did you get to be such a cheesy sap?" I question amusedly.

Chloe gently nudges my shoulder, "I don't think _you_ can talk much about that."

I open my mouth to protest, then realize that there is not much point, "Fair point."

She offers me a cheeky grin, "I am always right after all."

I let out a gentle laugh, "Really?"

"Damn right I am," she chuckles, "Oh yeah before I forget Kate and the others said they'd come and visit soon."

Soon after the whole CIA incident, we managed to get back in contact with Kate, who was thrilled to say the least. She told us that her, Victoria, Dana, Juliet and little Zoey are all doing well now and even have their own place.

_No more living on the streets for any of us._

I smile at the thought of meeting up with them again, "I seriously can't wait for that."

"Oh yes, because I really need to be under Victoria's scrutiny again," Chloe wryly remarks.

"She's not so bad," I offer, knowing that in the grand scheme of things Victoria was harmless and actually quite friendly considering some of the other people we had come across in our time.

"Yeah, I guess not," she reluctantly confesses.

I smirk at her hesitancy to admit this and reach out to place a hand on her face, "Aw don't pout."

Her lip quirks upwards into a smile, "You'll have to give me an incentive to stop."

Without hesitation, I press my lips against hers. Her lips move against mine tenderly while her hands caressing my body, sending shivers down my spine. I can hear Bongo purring and feel him padding at my foot as I deepen the kiss. After a few moments, I gently disengage and offer her a coy smile, "So… is that enough incentive?"

She chuckles lightly, "Max, you are such a tease."

I lean in and whisper into her ear, "I do my best."

I place my lips on her neck, kissing it gently. She sighs contently and moves her head back to allow me more access. Recently I have seen a much more vulnerable side to Chloe. Before we were too exhausted and scared to really give in to everything we were feeling, now is different though. We're not on the run and death doesn't haunt us at every turn anymore. Here we can truly relax and be free to love, which is all we ever wanted from the beginning.

I move over to her pulse, feeling the steady beat against my lips and smile. It shows me that she is alive and with me. After everything we've been through, it doesn't seem possible. I was so certain that either one or both of us would end up dead… that or much worse. I often wonder if I will wake up and find that this has all been some wonderful dream. I hope that day never comes, because after I have seen this life I can't go back to how we were before. Chloe's hands slip under my top, lightly raking her nails along my skin as my lips brush against her neck. It is in moments like this that I know what I am experiencing is real. No matter how vivid or detailed a dream is, it can never measure up to reality.

I pull away from her neck, gazing deeply into her exposed azure blue eye, "Chloe, you are my best friend, my first mate, my partner in crime," a smirk forms on my face as I wryly add in an attempt to calm my shaking nerves, "my pain in the ass."

"Hey! Rude!" Chloe pouts and shoves my shoulder, but I can see the suppressed smile threatening to take over her face.

I shrug, unable to keep the grin from my own face at her protests, "The truth hurts."

"Man, you can be such an ass sometimes," Chloe chuckles as she shakes her head, her hold on me tightening as she waits for me to continue.

I swallow hard and take a deep breath before continuing in a lower tone, my voice breaking from the raw emotion I am injecting into this speech I have been practicing in front of the bathroom mirror in the early hours of the morning for the past few days while she was still fast asleep, the one I have been painstakingly pouring over until I found the right words to express how I feel, or at least as close as I can get, "The love of my life… the one person I could never live without. I love you so damn much, more than I ever thought possible. You are the only reason I have made it this far and all the shit we have encountered has so been worth it just to see you smile. There is no-one in this world or the next I would rather be at my side right now."

I am half-expecting her to tease me mercilessly from the sudden show of cheesy affection like she usually does. Instead her expression softens and I swear I can see tears begin to well up in her eye. Sure enough moments later tears begin to fall down her cheek. Chloe Price never cries… not until today anyway.

She doesn't even stop them, her bottom lip quivering as she speaks, "Max, you are such a huge nerd… my nerd. Every time I think I can't love you anymore, you always surprise me like this. We've been through some seriously fucked up shit, stuff we never should have, but I would endure it over and over again for eternity to even have one single second of your time. Never in all my life have I met someone as amazing as you who makes me feel so alive and wanted. You've stood by me through thick and thin and have made me feel things I never thought I would be able to. I am so glad that you came into my life and I wouldn't trade our time together for anything."

I exhale deeply in relief, my resolve strengthening by the second, "I'm glad you said that, because now it makes what I want to tell you next so much easier," I fumble around in my pocket as Chloe looks on with interest and produce two plain silver ring Samuel helped me pick out from my pocket with shaking fingers. I focus hard on trying not to drop them as I take hold of her hand, "Chloe Elizabeth Price, I offer you my heart for all eternity if you want it."

It takes a moment for the implication of my words to really kick in, but when they do Chloe bursts out into the dorkiest grin I have ever seen from her. She leans in and kisses my cheek, my forehead, my nose and finally my lips before whispering, "Yes, Max Caulfield. All the yesses in the world."

There was something else that Samuel told me that seems to fit right now. All bad things come to an end… and that's when the good ones start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. We have finally finished this story. Thank you for reading, have a super awesome day and I hope to see you in another story soon.


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